


Edelweiss

by Heyrrra



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, F/F, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Joseon Dynasty, Politics, Power Play, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-05-15 04:51:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19288504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heyrrra/pseuds/Heyrrra
Summary: Everything ... changed.Ever since Lisa woke up, dazed and confused, everything had changed. There were no shelves filled with musty old books, no desks, no students -- only the infinite blue sky, grass she felt on her cheek, and the scent of flowers?What does one do when they're thrown into the past, mistaken for someone sent by the Gods to help Joseon's King? What Lisa does best -- make everything complicated by falling inlove with someone she shouldn't have.------------------------





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Jenlisa Historical AU, cuz Im a sucker for historical au's. This is my first Fanfic so comments on how to improve my writing would be greatly appreciated! And let me know if you like or not like the story, it would really help me a lot 😊
> 
> I SERIOUSLY FIND AO3'S LAYOUT HARD TO UNDERSTAND... I DELETED CHAPTER FOUR ACCIDENTALLY THINKING IT WAS THE DUPLICATE CHAPTER T_T.

If there's one thing Lisa hates more than staying over late at school, it would have to be writing a damn paper over Art History. She took up Dance, thinking it would be all about dancing, making choreo and worrying about impressing agents from the entertainment industry -- not wasting away time looking for heavy history books about Art in a dark musty University library, and staring at a blank word document for what seemed like forever. The library was like that, you go in, work and lose track of time. Lisa swears it was cursed

_Okay, Lisa, time for you to get those brain cells to work_

**The History of Korean Art in the Joseon Dynasty.**

**This period in Korean history has left an impact in Modern Korea.**

There, that wasn't so bad right? Just 3479 words to go. 3479 words standing between her and her sweet sweet bed. She was beginning to regret waiting on the last day of submissions, before working on her paper -- well, she's been making quite a lot of questionable choices recently. The growl from her stomach was starting to become a distraction. And all she could think about was sinking her teeth into the tender meat and the sense of comfort from the spicy stew of Gamjatang. She was beginning to get used to skipping meals, that the slight pang and rumble was slowly becoming an extension of her weary self. She promised her parents she'd be a successful dancer first before going back home to Thailand, and two years of University life has drained her mentally and emotionally. There were days where she didn't feel like leaving the comfort of her dorm room and days where she longed for a crowd, and to drown out the nagging feeling of loneliness by putting on a smile on her face and sometimes even dancing the night away. Maybe... no, she couldn't stand seeing her parents disappointed. Fuck, let's be honest here, she couldn't stand herself if she gave up on the one thing that ever made her happy.

Another growl pulled her from her thoughts. Glancing at her phone screen, she had to let out a long sigh; 8:26pm. Had she been in the library that long already? It seems she has to talk with her professor tomorrow for an extension.

_Meow.. meow.._

Wait? Were cats allowed inside the library? Did she hear that right?

_Meow.._

Seriously? Is she that hungry to hallucinate a cat in the library, of all things?

She glanced around and found that this part of the library was too damn quiet. Clearly everyone, aside from her of course, already left. _Great, just great._ Careful not to grate the chair against the floor, Lisa tried to locate the source of the sound. She wasn't even sure there was a source to begin with. 8:29pm, a minute passed, no cat.

"Damn Manoban, you and your wild imagination" chuckling to herself

She placed the books into her bag, and was about to leave when a flash of white passed by her peripheral vision in a blur

_Wait, what was that?_

Lisa turned around too fast and landed on her face flat on the floor.

"Urgh, for someone who prides herself in dancing you're such a klutz." Lisa mumbled under her breath, struggling to get up.

She felt her breath hitch as something furry came into contact with her shoulder, causing her to jerk back and scream. Two innocent looking cat eyes peered back at her and purred as it nuzzled Lisa's neck.

"For fucks sake, I know you're cute and all but scare me again and I swear to God I'll --" the cat meowed in response, looking at her with an odd expression. It was as if it was calling out to her. The cat scurried away as soon as Lisa stood up, glancing and meowing back at her.

"Okaay?" The cat was white with splashes of gray around it's head and back, it went off into one of the least visited aisles. The aisle led to a darker more secluded part in the Library. The wooden walls were bare and the air heavy with dust, she never knew such a part existed within the university library -- well of course, how could she? When she barely came, the only exception was when she had exams and stupid papers due the next day.

_Why was she following a cat again?_

She heard another meow and the same green eyed cat looked at her, disappearing as soon as it had Lisa's attention behind a fairly empty shelf. Rounding the corner she found herself staring at an open door. Now any normal, sane person wouldv'e left right then and there. Who wouldn't? Dark, dusty, creaky room with a slightly opened door? -- isn't that the requirements to a good horror flick? The voice in her head kept telling her to go back, but her heart screamed to follow the cat inside. Her heart won, let's face it, it always did. Knowing herself, she'd probably be sleepless for days if she backed away now, never knowing what was inside the mysterious room.

Slowly opening the door and allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, she could make out Leo's form amidst the shadows. Yup she named the cat, it was weird calling it just "cat" up until now anyways. Walking further inside, she bumped into what seemed to be paintings and large canvasses covered with white cloth. Strange ... she never knew that their school had a collection of antique paintings, or were they old paintings from the Art department? Leo was rubbing against a huge frame at the back, looking at Lisa with it's expectant eyes.

"Hey buddy, what do you have here?" taking off the white cloth.

An old painting with cracked paint and what might be, upon closer inspection, looked like mold took form in the dark. Lisa took a closer look at it. Grass, a huge ass tree, falling flowers? Or were those leaves? Hmmm.. nothing special. A field for it's backdrop and mountains, a palace, people or common folk tending the fields and -- wait? Did the people at the back just moved? Legit moved as they planted? Was this some kind of optical illusion? Lisa closed her eyes and breathed. There, slow and steady, 1-2 , 1-2. She looked at the painting again as the room seemed to sway. She suddenly felt nauseous and wanted to throw up as she dropped to her knees. There was a low constant buzzing in her ears she can't seem to get rid of, drowning out her thoughts. She tried to cling unto the filthy painting, the damn painting that kept on moving, and the damn floor that wouldn't stop spinning. Leo, she saw through the corner of her eye was looking at her,  as everything swam before her, her vision getting more and more blurry.

She fell onto the hard floor as she was slowly consumed by the slow creeping darkness. She cursed unintelligibly and for a split second before passing out felt grass and heard ... horses?


	2. ONE

_Drip... drip… drip..._

 

There it was again, she thought. A constant drip of liquid nearby, precisely cutting through the silence. It’s rhythm unbreaking through the muffled sound of her breathing.

 

_Drip… drip… drip…_

_Was she awake? Was she still unconscious? Unconscious? Why would she be unconscious?_

 

Lisa was beginning to see patches of light through her eyelids, little white orbs floating against black. Forcing them open, all she saw were blurry patches of color making her all the more dizzy. Closing them back tightly she tried to drown out the headache creeping up, and the urge to throw up. There was a certain scent that lingered in the air, hmm were those flowers? She tried opening her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the light. Green, everything was green and sunny… Lisa froze, this did not feel like the cold, hard library floor -- it was far from it. This felt soft and smelled nothing like old books and dust.

 

_Leo_

 

_Yes, she remembered now._

 

It all came back in a rush, the painting, the room, and the cat. Lisa remembered it all, remembered how the animal called out to her, that damn painting, the way it made her feel nauseous -- made her feel like she was going insane, how everything blacked out. She remembered every detail -- Those uncatlike green eyes that stared at her as she lost consciousness. Yes, she remembered those quite vividly.

 

Lisa stood up too fast, losing her balance as she tumbled backward landing on soft grass. Grass, she was lying on grass! No wonder everything was green. Okay, she was no longer inside the library, how that happened was beyond her. Somehow, in some way she wounded up here; wherever this is. There was a small stream a couple of feet away from her, and white forsythias providing enough shade from the glare of the sun.

 

_Weird, she could not remember any parks within the city that looked like this._

 

Shouts brought Lisa to her feet, this time she made sure not to fall. For a dancer she was making a dangerous habit out of it. They sounded faint but seemed to be getting closer.

 

“Agasshi!” The shouts sounded like they were right over the hill that overlooked where Lisa was standing.

 

_Agasshi?_

 

“Agasshi! Come back!”

 

Lisa was about to climb up to get a closer look, when a flurry of clothes and something or someone crashed against her, as they fell against a tree. A dull throbbing pain started to snake its way to her side, and all she could see for a moment was black. She was starting to hate that color. She tried to focus on whatever was on top of her, but the throbbing was still there and she could barely make out anything from the mess of hair on her face.

 

“Oof!” _The thing speaks._

 

She could feel the person squirm against her neck, felt it’s warm ragged breath on her cheek. For a moment it seemed like everything had stopped and the only thing that existed was the sensation and the weird way it made her heart flutter..

 

“You can get off me n--.” The person stiffened and pushed against her quite roughly. Elbowing her injured side, a shot of pain coursed through her body causing her to bite her lower lip, drawing blood. “Not that hard though! Chris…”

 

Soft hands rushed to silence her, cutting her off.

 

_God, what now?_

 

Silence hung heavily as she found herself looking into such vivid brown eyes. Lisa’s breath hitched, her harsh feline eyes contrasted beautifully against the softness of her features. Black hair flowing freely as she tilted her head. Looking away quickly, Lisa felt her cheeks warming. Aware of the weird flips and flutters her heart was making, and how her heart raced at the way the stranger’s hand felt against her lips, how she smelled like roses and lilacs.

 

“Shhh…” harsh eyes pleaded.

 

Lisa gently bit into the tender flesh of the strangers palm, forcing her to jerk it away and earning Lisa another death glare.

 

“Is this how you greet people you crash into?”

 

It was amazing how fast her mood changed, one she looked like she was about to kill Lisa and the next she had her hand over Lisa’s mouth pushing her against the tree with a pleading look.

 

 _Cute_.

 

“Agasshi! We have to get back!”

 

The voices before sounded like they were just above them. The beautiful stranger closed the distance between them, putting pressure on ensuring she kept her mouth shut. The pain was still there, lingering, and the added weight from her was not making things better for Lisa at all.

Lisa could make out another sound against the chaos above them, it didn’t make sense though. A lot of things were not making sense lately. Hearing horses galloping on a beaten path certainly takes top spot.

 

“I will slowly take my hands off of you, can you please stay quiet for a bit more?” she could feel her breath against her skin as she whispered.

 

Lisa nodded slowly. The stranger backed away giving her space to breathe. Everything seemed amiss, agasshi… horses... studying the stranger closely she noticed she was wearing a hanbok.

 

“Am I on a movie set or something?” questioning looks was the only answer she had as the silence deepened.

 

“You’re peculiar”

 

“I’m what?”

 

“Peculiar, you talk funny and your clothes… you’re not from around here, are you?” She could feel her go tense after eyeing Lisa up and down.

 

“Woah… no… I don’t deserve this from you right now. Not after you go crashing into the first person you see. Clearly, you’re the one who’s not from here. Do you see what you’re wearing?” The stranger was beginning to get on her nerves. “Look, I just want to know where the hell I am right now so I could go back to peacefully writing my term paper and hopefully pass this year. It’s the least you could do for almost suffocating me to death and for … I don’t know breaking my rib?”

 

The stranger stood up, holding onto something, fear and panic on her delicate face. A glint of silver… you’ve got to be kidding right? For someone who goes around falling unto other people, the stranger moved with grace and precision. Brandishing what looked like a dagger, taking a step back for every movement Lisa made.

 

“Stay back!” She was shaking and making a poor show of waving the blade between them.

 

“Woah, let’s not resort to stabbing people we just met. We can talk this out calmly, like what sane people would do.” Lisa held out her hands in defense. Weird, beautiful and now crazy, she’s checking off a lot of negative traits off Lisa’s list.

 

“I said stay back!” lunging at her.

 

Lisa barely dodged the attack, The warm, slick feeling of blood felt oddly comforting against her cold fingertips. The cut on her shoulder was not that deep, she was more worried about the torn in her favorite sweater and the stain.

 

“Stay away from me!” The dagger slipped from her hands as she ran off towards the opposite direction, not a glance back at Lisa.

 

“Fuck…” Things were becoming weirder and weirder. Groaning inwardly she stormed off towards the direction of the woman who almost killed her -- thrice. If she wants to know where she is, she’d have to go to where all the other people are; basic survival tips she makes up along the way.


	3. TWO

The cut on her shoulder was beginning to sting from the sweat and the blood that seeped into the fabric of her favorite yellow sweater had dried, cracking at the slightest movement as she walked along an empty dirt path. She’d lost track of time, her watch was broken beyond repair. It must’ve cracked when she fell unconscious and her phone was nowhere to be found. The only thing keeping her company was the trees along the side of the road and the steady flow of water from the stream nearby. 

 

“I swear this day just gets weirder and weirder”

 

Lisa was starting to miss school, all she had to worry about was to make sure she passed. She went from wanting to finish an assignment to fending off crazies who carry around blades stabbing people they just met. She ran her fingers through her hair fixing her bangs along the way, it was a habit she had whenever she was stressed out. She barely finished combing through when she stopped in her tracks -- don’t those look like houses? Squinting, Lisa could barely make out straw hut roofs, and smoke that made the blue sky pale. She broke into a sprint, her shoes digging into the tender flesh of her ankles making them blister. 

 

She was panting as she reached the outskirts of the small village. Straw huts were clustered messily, the doors and windows shut tight. Lisa trudged slowly, trying to even out her ragged breathing. Where was everyone? Everything seemed out of place, this looked too primitive. Everything was made out of wood and straw, farming tools that looked quite like the ones she saw from the History books she spent hours studying littered the exterior of the huts and smoke was coming from what seemed to be the center of the village. She wanted to step back and leave, she’d seen far too many thrillers to know where this was headed. Not that she believed cannibals existed in South Korea, it was the most realistic, plausible explanation she had at this point. 

 

“Nu-i?” a tiny voice made her jump. 

 

“Are you lost?” she turned around and saw a boy looking up at her from an open window. 

 

“I -- uh, I guess I am. Can you tell me the name of this place?” Lisa walked closer, careful not to make sudden movements and scare the child away. 

 

“Dong-soo! Who are you talking to?” A girl, a couple of years older than the boy peeked, “Who are you?” 

 

“I’m Lisa, I … think I’m lost. Can you help me? I just need to know where I am.” 

 

She was answered with a closed window, the girl barely even looked at her.

 

“Hey! I… come on! Aarrgghh!” kicking a rock in frustration. What is it with people ignoring her questions? If only that girl hadn’t interrupted, the little boy would have given her the answers she needed. There was no point in getting mad at something she had no control over. She’d have to find for answers elsewhere.

 

Lisa stormed off into the center of the village. Following the source of the smoke, bit by bit pieces of hushed conversations rose above the stillness of the village. She could make out parts of the conversation.

 

“They’re coming… collect…” they sounded strained and anxious. 

 

“There’s no use in denying them what’s due.” an old man answered back. 

 

The huts were clustered closer to each other as you neared the village center, providing Lisa with enough room to hide behind. She was a couple of steps away from where people were huddled.

 

“I heard that the crown prince was with them. We’re lucky if he is.”

 

“I don’t think it’s wise to assume old man. Why would the crown prince waste time with us commoners? He has better things to do.” A gruff man answered, earning a couple of approvals among the crowd. 

 

Lisa could see they all wore hanboks in variations of white and light gray, most of which were stained with mud. The murmurs were silenced as sounds of horses approached. Men with elaborate headpieces and garbed in red robes appeared. Some of them armed with long spears circled around the vicinity of the village center.There was a sudden stillness that enveloped the villagers as the men on horses made way for a man in navy blue robes adorned with a phoenix crest. 

 

“Seja-Jeoha!” They cried out as they bowed. 

 

Lisa froze. She died. She probably died from that damn painting, she must have inhaled far too much mold, maybe the paint used contained too much lead. Yeah, that sounds about right -- lead poisoning, that’s why they kept them hidden all these years. They were dangerous and she was stupid enough to let a damn cat led her to that cursed painting. She was hallucinating, maybe even a NDE … those were the only logical things she can think of. She refused to believe she was transported back to the past. She found herself laughing, laughed at how stupid this was. Pfft the past? She had tears in her eyes from the laughter, she was gasping for air and couldn’t stop. Except… except the silence went on far longer than it should. Her laughter the only thing that broke through the tension. 

 

Lisa was suddenly aware of the looks, heard the men closest to her dismount their horses and pulled out their swords. She stopped, a lump in her throat. They were looking at her, and the men in red robes closed in on her, their swords at the ready. 

 

“Who dares laugh at the crown prince?” She heard them whisper amongst themselves. 

 

“She dresses funny, she must be a foreigner…” Lisa could hear them above the pounding of her heart. She could see them exchange looks and the way they tried to avoid her gaze as if she was with a contagious disease. She felt strong hands on her arms, her wound throbbing against the warm grip on her shoulders as she was dragged towards the center. Forced to her knees before the man in blue robes and his beautiful chestnut horse. 

 

“Where are your manners girl? Kneel!” harsh hands on her head forced her to bow, her face almost kissing the dirt floor. 

 

“Enough!” The hands holding onto her let go at once, “Who are you and what brings you to Jiyulheon?” 

 

Lisa could not find her voice to speak, this was just too much to take in at such short notice. 

 

“Speak woman! Have you no tongue?!” This made Lisa flinch, she could feel the man closing the distance his hands on his sword hilt. 

 

“Cease, there is no reason to be violent Yong-Min. Let her be, I’m sure she has a reason to be silent.”

 

“But.. Seja jeoha... “ 

 

He held out his hand to silence his guard. 

 

“Lisa Manoban, my name is Lisa Manoban and I have no idea why I’m here.” She said meekly, she could still feel the animosity from the guy called Yong-Min and she wanted to avoid aggravating that. God knows she wanted to survive this ordeal in one piece.

 

“You wear clothes that are not from this kingdom, where are you from?” His voice was calm and steady with purpose

 

“Bangkok.. Thailand” There was no use lying to them, she knew she’d be in more danger if she tried to make up a village name. 

 

The person they called crown prince dismounted his horse, Lisa could see the tips of his blue robe between her bangs as she bowed. She felt the coolness of the silver before she saw it, nudging her face up with the tip of the blade, Lisa could finally put a face to the voice. For a brief moment, Lisa saw recognition in his eyes as he looked at her. HIs hair tousled from the wind. He smiled at her warmly and extended his hand, helping her to her feet.

 

“Yong-Min? Prepare a horse. She will be coming with us back to the palace.”

 

“Seja Jeoha?”

 

“Have you no ears? Prepare her a horse, we ride back to the palace today.”

 

“We... have no more horses to spare…” Yong-Min was eyeing her with a wary look

 

“Then she rides with me, either way she comes back with us.” The prince was already mounted and gave Lisa another warm smile. 

 

“But the taxes Jeoha, and we came here for the plant. We need that for the King --”

 

“You have your orders, let Jung-Ho take care of the taxes for now here.” He looked back at Lisa and offered his hand again. 

 

“Do you know how to ride a horse?” There was a certain tenderness in the question.

 

“No.. I’ve never had the chance to ride one before..” 

 

He flicked his finger and in a flurry of motions, strong hands had gripped her waist and hoisted her up on the horse. He took Lisa’s hands and guided them to his waist, 

 

“Hold on tight, it will be a long way back.” He chuckled as he saw Lisa’s surprised look, “Lisa Manoban, you may be what we’ve been waiting for a long time. My name is Jeon Jungkook, crown prince of Joseon.” He rode off with his men following behind. 

 

What have I gotten myself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who gave my fanfic a chance. Sorry if it's progressing slowly, I've always loved slowburn Historical fanfiction. We'll be meeting a lot of the other characters on the next chapter. Have an awesome day ahead reader :)


	4. THREE

To say that she was amazed would be an understatement. They’ve arrived at the palace and have passed through multiple gates with more guards garbed in red robes and their signature feathered hats. Proclaiming the arrival of their crown prince, and jumping at every opportunity to show their undying loyalty to the heir. They’ve left the horses as soon as they’ve entered the second gate and Jungkook has kept it his mission to keep Lisa close by as they walked. They were approaching a small bridge by the top of a canal, the water beneath it was as still as the palace. The bridge was adorned with statues of beasts who kept guard, giving anyone who dared to cross it a watchful gaze. 

Lisa kept her head down, avoiding the hostile glares from Jungkook’s personal guard, Yong-Min. She’d been silent ever since the scuffle at Jiyulheon. Well, aside from the polite nods she gave every time the prince asked if she was fine, wanting to avoid unnecessary attention. She was probably already included in Yong-Min’s kill list, any wrong move and she’d have his sword down her throat. Lisa barely noticed that they’ve stopped by a compound in front of a building with red walls. 

An old man ran to greet Jungkook, addressing him with a curt nod, his black hat unmoving.

“Yi-Hangweon.” the prince nodded in response, meeting him in a quick awkward looking embrace. 

“Seja Jeoha, I have matters I need to discuss with you in private.” he spoke in a hushed calculated tone

“Of course.” Jungkook looked back, catching Lisa’s gaze. “Forgive me, I would have to leave you in Yong-Min’s capable hands. I have important matters I need to take care of at the moment.” 

Lisa smiled back, aware of the weird look Yi-Hangweon was giving her. 

“Yong-Min, I can see dried blood on her clothes. Take her to the palace physician, and prepare an empty room in one of the princess’ quarters” Giving Lisa a quick smile, “She needs to rest.” 

Yong-Min nodded and signaled for Lisa to follow him, as Jungkook went with the older man towards the other direction. 

\----------------------------------------------------

Yong-Min walked ahead of her, Lisa taking long strides to keep up with his fast pace as they rounded a corner and stopped in front of a closed room. Lisa could hear hushed voices inside and giggling. 

“Park Chaeyoung? I have someone that needs attending to.” his crude voice breaking what little sanctuary the people inside the room has created. There was a brief silence before the door slid open a crack. A beautiful woman in a bright green hanbok emerged with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her features innocent and delicate. 

“Agasshi, forgive our intrusi--”

“It’s fine Yong-Min… I was about to head back anyway.” she had a dark voice for such an innocent looking face. “I’ll be on my way, Chaeyoung is all yours.” She looked at Lisa briefly and smiled. 

Yong-Min bowed and opened the door fully, waiting for Lisa to step inside. 

The room was small yet spacious as it only had a small table in the center and plump pillows for chairs. The windows were open and a cool breeze wafted in, creating a serene atmosphere. A woman with brunette wavy hair smiled at her warmly, her plump cheeks making her look childlike against the light. She tied her hair back in a loose ponytail and signaled Lisa to sit down. 

“I will have your quarters and a fresh pair of clothes ready.” Yong-Min excused himself “Park Chaeyoung, I will be back for her in an hour.” he added as he closed the door slowly. 

The brunette gave her a huge smile as soon as the door closed. “I believe you already know who I am.” 

Lisa nodded, easing into a comfortable position. Allowing herself to relax, she seems harmless enough.

“Well… are you going to tell me your name or are we going for a guessing game?” Lisa knew she was trying to break the awkward tension, she had a playful smirk. Almost as if daring Lisa to answer back with a smart retort.

“Lisa, Lisa Manoban.” 

“Sounds foreign and the clothes…”

“Not from this kingdom.. I know. I know.”

“I can tell you’ve been hearing that quite a lot” She had a beautiful laugh, it made her eyes crinkle and her cheeks plumper 

“You have no idea” Lisa smiled back in turn, genuinely this time.

“Well.. let’s take a look at your wounds.” She looked at Lisa’s shoulder with a serious expression as she stood and sat right next to her. Her slender fingers barely grazing the tear in her sweater.  
“Can you take your clothes off?” 

For a minute Lisa froze, she was far too close and she smelled like roses. Why do women from this period look so stunning and smelled so nice? Heat was starting to make her cheeks go red. Roses and lilacs. The scent of roses -- harsh feline eyes, why was she thinking of her suddenly? The memory made her light headed, wait was chaeyoung asking her a question? Focus Lisa…

Chaeyoung was looking at her with an amused expression. Reaching out, she hitched Lisa’s sweater, exposing a bit of her stomach causing the other girl to jump in her seat.

“I really need to look at that wound to treat it.”

Lisa shuddered at the brief touch. Chaeyoung was gentle but she was too immersed with her own thoughts that the innocent gesture made her blush profusely. 

“I, uh.. Sure. I’ll take it off myself.” flustered and stuttering.. Great. 

She took the sweater off in one fluid motion. She felt oddly exposed, not that it made her uncomfortable -- it just made her feel weird to be almost naked in front of a stranger. A beautiful stranger to be exact. 

The wound was no longer bleeding. It didn’t hurt as much as it did before either. The tender flesh around it was red and puffy. Chaeyoung gingerly pressed on the skin around it, causing some of the dried blood to flake off. 

“Does it hurt?” her eyebrows creased.

“No” She didn’t realize she was holding her breath the entire time her wound was being examined. Soft brown eyes looked at her with a worried expression. “Look it’s not a deep cut, it will heal on its own. Nothing to worry about.” as she tried to move back, avoiding Chaeyoung’s gaze.

“That needs to be cleaned, however what I meant was this…” Chaeyoung was pointing at her side. Lisa could see the ugly way the purple looked against her pale skin. Before she could answer, delicate fingers grazed against the bruise making her shudder.

“This looks painful, let me put a balm to help with the pain and swelling.” She was back with a bottle in hand. The coolness of the mint felt nice against her hot skin. She tried hard not to focus on the circular motions Chaeyoung was making as she applied the ointment. Lisa closed her eyes and hummed, this feels nice… 

“Did Yong-Min do this to you?” her voice was a little over a whisper, pulling Lisa from her bubble. Chaeyoung was holding onto a wet cloth to clean the cut on her shoulder. “He takes his job seriously”

Lisa laughed, “No.. this one was from... someone a little fiercer. She… she uh gave me this as well.” She reddened at the thought. Harsh eyes against soft features. 

The skin around her wound was pink and raw from all the cleaning. Chaeyoung was back with another ointment that smelled weirdly of grass. She covered the wound with a clean white cloth, setting it in place before tying a makeshift bandage around her armpit. 

“There, that should do. I’ll change the bandage tomorrow.” She was putting everything back into place when someone knocked. 

“I have her clothes ready and a bath drawn. If you’re done here I’ll accompany her back to her room.” 

“I’ll come looking for you tomorrow.”

Chaeyoung winked as she helped Lisa to her feet, helping her with the sweater. “Now go, before Yong-Min decides to break in through my door.” pushing Lisa outside and closing the door behind her softly. 

Lisa was greeted with an ominous looking Yong-Min, who looked like he would want to be somewhere else than with her. 

“Come with me.” He was already walking away before he even finished his sentence. 

\---------------------------------------------------

Yong-Min has left her alone and went off to look for the crown prince or something other than being with Lisa. She stood against the open door and looked around the entirety of the room. There were big windows filling up any space it can reach with natural light. A table at the far right corner of the room was bare, as Lisa looked around everything seemed to be bare of anything, a chair by the table stood alone. Lisa fixed her gaze towards the windows, bathing her face with warmth. She ventured further and found the clothes on a heap on top of the bed. A partition hid a tub filled with warm water from prying eyes that might accidentally look inside the room, allowing her to enjoy the privacy.

Taking off her clothes Lisa dipped into the bath, enjoying the warm water and allowed the tension building inside her to ebb away as she scrubbed on her arms. Washing away the filth that clung to her, and allowing her to think about the events that happened. Somehow she was teleported back into the Joseon period, and the crown prince seems to think she’s here for a reason. Sinking deeper into the water, she tried to come up with a reason as to how this happened, and more importantly how to get back. It had to do something with that cat. She shook her head, spilling water all over the floor, I have to focus on ensuring I dont get myself killed here. She was given a hanbok a couple of sizes too small, cutting off around her ankles instead. She looked funny, or she thought she did. It was hard to tell given there wasn’t a mirror inside the room. Lisa tied her hair in a half ponytail, half of it loose and cascading. 

Lisa tried her best to fall asleep, willing the hunger away. She could feel her stomach protest, gamjatang… urgh do they have gamjatang in Joseon? Come to think of it, she hasn’t had any food since yesterday. Would Yong-Min kill her off if she decided to hunt for the kitchen? Surely the prince wanted her alive right? 

Lisa knew this was a stupid idea as she opened the door slightly, looking into the long spacious hallway. It seemed to stretch off on the right, banisters stood guard up until the end of the corridor. Hearing the door softly slid in place behind her, Lisa walked slowly, passing by closed doors one by one. Her feet treading carefully on the cold floor. She tried hard to recall the path back to Chaeyoung’s clinic, all of the buildings around here looked exactly alike. They took a right here and then straight down the hallway, and then left? No, it was right… wait … Lisa looked back and forth. Why was she born with a poor sense of direction again? Right… Lisa thought, she could come back and take left if she was wrong. 

Forging on with newfound determination Lisa took a quick turn to the right and bumped into someone. 

Harsh feline eyes…

Sh*t. Not again… it couldn’t be….

She could see her smirk. 

“Jennie!” The innocent looking girl from the clinic caught up with her, 

Jennie…


	5. FOUR

Unrelenting feline eyes stared back at her, daring her to make a move. She hated how it made her momentarily stop in her tracks, how for some reason it made her speechless. She had this annoying smirk on her pristine face that unnerved Lisa, she looked like an angry cat ready to pounce on a helpless rat, except… Lisa was no rat. She was far from being one. 

“You have this strange habit of bumping into people you try to kill off. It’s kind of cute.” Lisa tried to mask the trembling in her voice with a laugh, matching her gaze. Two can play this game. She scoffed at Lisa’s banter and gave her a crooked grin. The other girl has caught up to her by now and gave them both a curious look. Looking at Jennie and then looking at Lisa, finally giving life to the saying about tension in the air being too thick it can be cut through with a knife.

“You’re the girl that went to Chaeyoung-ah right? The one with the odd clothes?” 

Lisa nodded, she was beginning to hate the fact that they kept bringing up the way she dressed. It wasn’t her fault she had a futuristic sense of fashion for the time period. 

“Have you two met before?” 

“No. She must have mistaken me for someone else Jisoo-eonnie” Jennie gave both of them a sweet smile. 

Hearing those words made Lisa go off. She was hungry and pissed off, not the best combination when you walk up to someone who just gave you an ugly looking bruise and a stab wound. She was lucky enough to move away just in time, it would have been nastier and needed stitching if she hadn’t. She could feel her face go red, felt how the acid made her mouth go sour. 

“You tried to f*cking kill me! Don’t act as if you don’t remember! Hell, this is why my shoulder’s limp and encased in a stupid, uncomfortable bandage!” 

Everything moved in slow motion as she found herself closing the distance between them. Jennie looked even smaller as Lisa towered over her, she could feel the blood rush to her ears, making them go red and pulse with every deep breath she took. Trying her best to control the surge of anger that slowly enveloped her, making her shake. She was trying her best not to strangle the smaller woman and wipe that smirk off her pretty face. 

“Forgive me however I don’t ever recall trying to kill anyone, you must have mistaken me for someone else. To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember ever meeting someone as uncouth and as ill-mannered as you.” 

That’s it.

Lisa heard Jisoo scream, saw Jennie close her eyes in anticipation at the blow. There was no impact however, as she realized her hand was suspended mid air with a strong grip. She scrunched her face as a new wave of pain coursed through her body as her arm was twisted roughly, whoever it was, made sure her arm was kept securely against her back. The wound stung as it brushed against the rough wool of the bandage. 

“Daegam!” Both Jisoo and Jennie gave a short bow. 

“You need to take note of your place in this palace, hitting the daughter of a renowned public official serving the King could cost you your head for such a foolish act.” She could barely hear the words whispered against her ear. “Now… I believe an apology is warranted.” She was pushed to the ground, released from the grip he had over her. 

“There’s no need for that Kai, she’s at no fault. Seeing as she’s injured, she may be having a delusional fit from the pain. She seems to be a foreigner as well, I do not expect her to know who I am.” Lisa looked up to a smiling Jennie, she was spewing out lies as fast as she changes her mood. She was holding out her hand for Lisa, her eyes clouding over with an unknown emotion making it look darker.

Lisa took what she was offered, not wanting to make things worse for her. Her shoulder muscles quivered , demanding another visit to Chaeyoung. She held on to it, massaging the tender spot to relieve the pain. The man looked regal in the same bluish hue hanbok as Jungkook. He had sharp looking eyes that made him look cold and arrogant. He went to stand beside Jennie, looking at her briefly with an affectionate look. They called him daegam which meant he was the grand prince, if her memory of her history lessons served her right -- which means she just made a fool out of herself. All because of that woman. 

Jisoo was the first to break the awkward silence between them. “Were you looking for something or someone?” Trying her best to give her a friendly smile. 

“Yes, I was planning on visiting Chaeyoung, I … uh… wanted to ask for help. I don’t know where the kitchen is.” The mention of Chaeyoung’s name brought out a genuine smile from Jisoo, prompting her to take Lisa hands and dragging her towards the other direction. 

“If that’s the case, let me join you. I’ll show you the way to her clinic and accompany you to the kitchen after.” 

“There’s no need I can look for it on my own.”

“Lisa!” The familiar voice made them both stop. “I’ve asked Yong-Min to take you to my library, but you were nowhere to be seen in your room. Do you need anything?” 

Lisa gave a small bow before shaking her head to answer. 

“She was looking for the kitchen Jeoha,” Great, Jisoo, just great 

“Ah! How foolish of me, I forgot to tell Yong-Min to prepare a meal for you, you must have been famished. I’ll have one made for you at once.” He looked back at one of the servants who was following him, giving him orders for the meal.

“Make haste and have it delivered to my study.” The servant bowed and excused himself. Jungkook looked back at her and smiled. “I need to show you something, if you may accompany me back to my study?”

“Brother…” Kai walked up to Jungkook and gave him a tight hug. “We were not aware you have a guest over.” glancing at Lisa briefly before addressing Jungkook. “I may need to apologize, I mistook her as one of the Abanim’s Goongju.” 

Abanim… Goongju, she can’t seem to remember what those mean, but from the way Kai looked at her, she could tell it was a lowly way to address someone in the palace. 

“Jong-In, no… she’s… she’s here for a reason. I can not tell you now but in time I will.” A brief look of anger flashed in Kai’s eyes, it went unnoticed by everyone as he smiled. Trying his best to bite down his response. 

“I understand, let me have the liberty to introduce myself then. We may have started out in bad terms. I am Kim Jong-In, grand prince of Joseon. Half brother to the crown prince; Jeon Jungkook. These lovely ladies you’ve had the pleasure of meeting are the daughters of Kim Yang-Hwan, an esteemed member of the palace Yangban. My father’s council is nothing without the guidance provided by their father. You’ve met his eldest daughter; Kim Jisoo and his youngest daughter; Kim Jennie.”

“Thank you, this is Lisa Manoban. She’s from Bangkok -- I apologize, what was it again?”

“Thailand.”

“Ah yes, from the kingdom of Thailand. She is here under my care and it would please me to ensure she is provided with the same respect as I am given.” 

“Of course.” Kai gave him a small bow and gave Lisa a tight smile. 

Lisa can’t help but look at how Jennie looked from being annoyed to surprised to looking as if she was happy with the news. The girl was so good at hiding behind her repertoire of masks it made Lisa wonder who she really was behind those walls. Jennie caught her eye and Lisa could swore she saw a hint of a smile ghost her lips before being met with a cheshire smile, Jennies gums visible making her look more like a child than the fierce cat that she was a while ago.  
“If you can excuse us, I need to discuss something with Lisa.” Jungkook went and took Lisa by the hand and led her. 

They bowed as they left. Taking a quick glance back, she saw Kai take Jennie’s hand as he gave her a wide smile with Jisoo standing by laughing at something he said. Jennie looked back affectionately, showing them her gummy smile. Lisa felt weird, whatever it was -- made her sulk and grit her teeth in annoyance. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jungkook has taken her through multiple hallways, each looking the same as the one before it, each painted blood red supported by columns that glistened from the sunlight. They took what seemed to be their eleventh left turn, Lisa wasn’t sure-- she lost count along the way, and reached a hallway that led to an open area with a single building in the center. It's doors were open and Lisa could see scrolls of various thickness occupy the shelves that went from one end of the interior to the far end. There was a table and chair cushions at the far center, nestled comfortably by an open window, cluttered with open scrolls. 

Jungkook waited for Lisa to settle down before taking his seat. He was looking at a certain passage from an open scroll and looked up at her. He kept silent for a while, looking at the scroll with a serious expression. 

“My father… the king,” he looked anxious, trying his best to avoid looking at Lisa. “he’s … he’s ill. It all started many full moons before. We’ve had the best physicians around the kingdom look into finding the antidote to whatever malady has struck him…” he trailed off, his eyes glazed with unshed tears.as he took a deep breath before continuing where he left off. “Sabu-nim, has talked to me in private regarding what may help…” Jungkook took the scroll, opening it and reading off a passage silently. “Joseon, does not believe in the occult. Everything that comes from the unknown is frowned upon by the confucian scholars in my father’s council. They believe in a strict form of conduct that revolves around logical reasoning. Do you understand how I must keep this a secret between my teacher, Yong-Min and you?” 

Lisa nodded slowly, the atmosphere in the study has shifted. Lisa suddenly felt claustrophobic, Jungkook was looking at her intently, waiting for her to voice out her opinions. Clearly, a nod wouldn’t suffice. 

“If you meant, to have me keep quiet about whatever it is we’ll be discussing here,..” Lisa looked away, “then yes, I can keep secrets your Highness.”

“I meant no disrespect Lisa, I just… need to make sure that what is said within these walls stay within these walls. The throne and my succession hangs in the balance if my father’s council finds out.”

“I understand, there is nothing to be sorry about. You are only doing what you think is best for your father as a son. Plus, I do not have friends here, I know no one to that extent to tell your precious little secret to.”

“Thank you,” Jungkook stood up and went towards the open window. Looking at the scenery outside, he continued with a soft voice “The scrolls we studied talks about a flower, hidden within this kingdom that could cure any malady. Yong-Min, one of the few that knows about this has accompanied me from village to village looking for this flower. It’s said to have white petals that bloom in the cold, small white flowers that live among weeds. Beautiful against the harshness of this world. I’ve searched every village in this kingdom and yet … have found nothing of that sort. Two winters have come and passed and the king grows weaker by the day and yet … I stand by, doing nothing -- all because… I’m foolish enough to believe that such a flower exists.” He went back to sit and pick up the scroll and gestured for Lisa to take a look. 

“My teacher has spent many moons trying to study these and decipher if the passage meant something else, you see… you came here just before winter. You have… bright yollow-white hair, unrelentless and unbudging against the cruel way my soldiers have approached you. Lisa… I think no such flower exist, because… I think the passage speaks of you.”

Hearing those words Lisa’s jaw dropped in shock. Me? Why the hell would that passage meant me?


	6. FIVE

It took Lisa a full minute to internalize what she was told, she can barely make it through university, had a hard time finishing term papers and was clawing her way out of college -- being told this, did not help at all.

"I'm sorry, I think you've made a mistake.... I can barely keep my life together, what makes you think I can do this?"

“Lisa, please. I ask of nothing else but this. Help my father... help the king and I will give you anything in return... Anything."

"Look..." Lisa stood up and backed away, pinching the bridge of her nose -- another headache was on its way. "I've got to be honest with you, since we're being open and all. Just to get this off my chest and to be perfectly fair with you. I have no idea why I'm here, ok? I just want to go back to whatever, wherever I came from. I really can't do this. I'm not the one you're looking for."

Jungkook tried reaching out but stopped. "Please do not force me to resort to things I do not wish to do." his tone grew dark, unaware of how hard he clenched his fist, fingers biting against his palms. "I’ve set up an appointment for you to meet my teacher and work on an antidote tomorrow.” There was a certain finality to his voice. They started off with Jungkook being vulnerable, this Jungkook was different. His whole being screamed authority -- showing fully well how he was destined to be the next king.

Jungkook stood up, approaching Lisa cautiously. "Let's come to an agreement then shall we? I've been taught a lot of things and diplomacy has always had a special place in my heart..." he gave her a sad smile "Work with my teacher while I continue to search for the flower. Either way, I'll do my best to help you with whatever it is you wish. There is no loss in this Lisa."

The sound of incoming footsteps made Lisa turn around, "Seja-Jeoha, I have her meal prepared. Where would you like to have it laid out?"

"My study is not as presentable as I wish it would be. I find it a great dishonor to have such an esteemed guest take her first meal here. Prepare the dining hall, I'll join her there as soon as I finish up here." the servant bowed, while Jungkook turned towards her "You don't have to give me an answer now, but I do hope you reconsider. Follow him, he will accompany you. We can continue where we left off tomorrow once you've had a full night's rest." He turned away, picking up a stray scroll by the floor.

\----------------------------------------------

Lisa went along with the servant, who made sure he kept his gaze turned away and his head bowed. The dining hall was grand, she's watched a couple of K-drama's to know that this is where they usually held feasts. She could only imagine how grander it would look when filled with people, food and merry music. Now it felt like an empty carcass. The only thing keeping her company was the sound of her spoon against the brass bowl. They’ve prepared a full meal for her despite it being late in the afternoon. 

Lisa ate slowly… they make really good kimchi.. She’s left with no choice, Jungkook was basically telling her to create an antidote or have herself kicked out of the palace for not cooperating, and we all know how good she is when it comes to being alone in a time period she dozed off of during class. She remembered the basics, but everything seemed far more complex here… 

“Penny for your thoughts?” 

Lisa looked up, the scent of roses and lilacs mixed with the delightful aroma of spices and noodles. Jennie was wearing her hair down, it glistened against the orange glow of torches inside the hall, masking her with a soft yellow hue as she took the second seat away from her.

“Have you been stalking me agasshi?” Lisa was in no mood to fight, she just wanted to eat in peace. 

Jennie looked back at her curiously “Stalking?” 

Lisa wanted to hit herself in the head, of course she wouldn’t know what it meant! “Uhh.. what I meant was, do you follow people around a lot?”

“You speak in such an odd way.” Jennie smiled, wait why is she smiling at me like that? This feels off, Lisa was fully expecting her to throw a tantrum, especially with what happened at the hallway. This Jennie… is…. Lisa shook her head, they’ve only met for a day -- not even 24 hours and she’s already showing multiple facets of personalities.

There was an awkward silence between the two, Lisa tried her best to focus on the food. She can’t help but be fully aware of the way Jennie kept on looking at her.

“I’ve been told you’ll be staying here for a while, we’ll be seeing more of each other. Don’t you think that’s … exciting?” There it was, the subtle playfulness in her tone. “We met at such a compromising situation that we’ve both given each other a bad impression.”

“You..”

“Hmm?” 

Lisa looked up, meeting her gaze briefly before moving on to admire her … no… stop it … Lisa darted her eyes to look at the torch behind Jennie. It was … what’s the word she’s looking for? Interesting.. Yes… the torch was far more interesting. Jennie was tilting her head, allowing her hair to flow against her shoulder.

“You made a bad impression of yourself. Has anybody told you how incredibly rude it is to stab people? No matter how … what’s the word you used? Peculiar… no matter how peculiar they may be.”

Jennie’s laugh flowed through her like water, it echoed through the empty hall and bounced off the walls suspended in the air. She looked innocent when she laughed, she had a gummy smile making her look younger and more… kinder. Her cheeks plumped. Dumplings.. That was the first thing that came to mind when she laughed, her cheeks looked like dumplings. Lisa can’t help but smile and gradually chuckled. Her laughter was surprisingly infectious.

“Why is that the first thing you say to me whenever we cross paths? Is that the only endearing quality you can remember me by?” Jennie’s eyes twinkled, this was beginning to be Lisa’s favorite version of her, somehow she had her walls down.

“It’s kind of hard to think about what other qualities you have when we’ve only had the pleasure of crashing into each other, you trying to stab me out of nowhere just because I look ‘peculiar’, and you… acting all innocent when all I wanted was an apology.” 

“Well, I did come here to apologize.” This time it was Jennie that looked away “I don’t have time to explain why I did what I did.” The smirk was back and the playfulness gone. It’s like she had an internal switch and it irked Lisa, not in a bad way. It made her want to know her more and she knows just how difficult that would be. She was a difficult puzzle to piece. 

“Why don’t you stay and keep me company? It’s the least you could for almost --”

“Killing you? You’re not forgetting this that easily are you?”

“No… so, how about it? Is it a yes or a yes Agasshi?” 

Jennie bit her lower lip while she considered the offer. Lisa was trying not to look expectant, she could feel the flips and flutters again.

“It would be... “ Jennie answered back slowly, carefully choosing her next words. “A pleasure. I may not have another opportunity to sit and have a decent, civil conversation with someone whom I find very amusing -- and tried very much to murder” She smiled, winking at Lisa “However there are certain matters I need to attend to and, Jisoo-eonnie may have returned from her visit to Chaeyoung and must be looking for me. Maybe the next time we have an opportunity such as this, it would be over something as friends and not as strangers who always seem to be in aggravating situations” Jennie stood up and left without a glance back. 

“So much for trying to get to know you…” Lisa mumbled under her breath, staring blankly at the cold soup for a while. She finally decided to look for the servant. She lost her appetite and wanted to sleep away the heavy feeling she had.

 

\-----------------------------------------------

The first thing Lisa saw when she woke up was the sunlight that poured through the thin papered walls, washing the room with an ethereal glow. Lisa fixed her gaze towards the open windows, bathing her face with warmth. The glaring sunlight made her shield her eyes, made her see light seep through the space between her fingers. This is real. It’s not a dream. Lisa felt for the sheets, holding on to them too tightly. Lisa half wished everything was a dream, half of her held on to this weird, exciting chapter. 

“Agasshi..”

Lisa groaned “Really? This early in the morning.” She said through gritted teeth, burying her head into the pillows.

“We have your bath ready and drawn. Seja-Jeoha is waiting for you by the Pavilion.”

“Can you come back at a later time? I would very much like to go back to sleep please.”

“Agasshi, Seja-Jeoha requests you meet with him at once.” Yong-Min’s voice boomed, rattling the walls making her sit up. 

I swear that guy hates me… Lisa opened the door to allow the servants to fill up the tub and leave a fresh pair of chima and jeogori by her bed. Leaving her as soon as their task was done. Yong-Min stood by the door, waiting for her to finish. 

Lisa greeted him by rolling her eyes in irritation. She could see him eye her sharply from the corner of her eye. She knows the feeling was mutual. They walked silently towards a new part of the palace. It led off to a beautiful man made island connected to the palace grounds by a stone bride, it’s balustrades depicted the zodiac. The pavilion was even more beautiful up close. A perfect marriage between wood and stone. Carvings of dragons adorned the stone pillars, in flight towards the heavens. Jungkook was with another man who he was in deep conversation with. 

Yong-Min announced her arrival, drawing both of their attention. 

“Lisa!”Jungkook came up to her “I hope by now you’ve made your decision? This is my teacher.... Yuan.” gesturing towards the kind looking old man by his side. 

Lisa bowed, acknowledging the presence of the scholar and the crown prince with a deep bow. “I really have no choice but to agree…”

Jungkook gave her a wide grin. “It’s decided then! He will show you to a private study away from the prying eyes of my father’s council. You may come and go as you wish, provided you keep me informed of any developments of the antidote. Everything you need, or will ever need will be available there. Yuan will be away tomorrow on a trip to Hongdae and will return in two weeks time. You will be working alone until then… that is if you wish to work with either me or Yong-Min.” 

Jungkook was spewing out information upon information and the only thing that entered Lisa’s mind was the same thought over and over I majored in dance, not chemistry.

Yuan looked at her and smiled. His eyes crinkled, disappearing amidst layers of crows feet. He moved closer and whispered “The study we’ve chosen is located near the Kim family, take caution, he is a very powerful man and have strong influence over the decisions made by the Yangban.”

Kim...Did he mean Kim Jennie’s father? 

“Yong-Min will take you there now, I’ll have someone take your meals there to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you to everyone who've read the story thus far, subscribed and left comments :). I'll try and update every 2 days if work isn't that hectic. Please do keep an eye out for Yong-Min as he's more than meets the eye and apologies for the brief jenlisa interactions in the past chapters, I promise the build up is finished and we'll see more of them soon. Do let me know what you guys think of the new chapter! Have a great day ahead reader!


	7. SIX

CHAPTER SIX

Lisa has been staring at the various vials and containers that filled the shelf. She can hardly tell one vial from another. Most of them were filled with black powder, a couple with various colored liquids and ground up leaves, and one weird looking pair of dried animal paw hidden by the bottom shelf. The room felt cramped, it’s only source of light was from a small window by the table. It was a long walk away from the pavilion and an even longer walk away from her quarters. It was hard to tell how much time had passed, Lisa grew impatient at constantly turning the hourglass. Leaving it untouched after a servant brought her breakfast. 

Lisa was tempted to mix away things and be done with this whole antidote fiasco, which would then give her enough time to figure out how to get back. There were multiple possible outcomes out of this. One, she may actually kill the king in the process - how many of these ingredients were actually safe to consume? She knew ancient people were not that good at identifying which was toxic and which weren’t. She remembered reading about that for an exam once. Two, she might actually be lucky enough not to kill the king and maybe, just maybe … create something useful enough to get rid of some of the king’s symptoms. Just enough to buy her credibility. The latter was highly unlikely though, she’s bound to mess this up in one way or another. She groaned, burying her face in her arms. The safest way out of this is to buy herself enough time until Yuan got back, he’d probably be more familiar with everything that’s on that weird shelf and she could let him do all the mixing. All she needed to do was take her time feigning work for two weeks. Simple enough, except she had to report to Jungkook. _Well, I can lie about it -- no harm in ensuring the antidote comes out perfectly, right?_ She stood up, stretching her body to shake away the incoming drowsiness. She was near the woods and the view outside look pretty inviting. _It wouldn’t hurt to enjoy a bit of sunshine._

She decided on taking a walk. The study was close to a forest perfect for killing time before lunch. Lisa made sure not to stray too far as she followed a beaten path, most of it was covered with fallen leaves that crunched beneath her sandals. The trees were becoming less dense as she neared a clearing. It looked beautiful, everything looked so picturesque -- she saw scenes from dramas that showed how Joseon looked, but this was different. _This was_ _real._ Closing her eyes, Lisa tried to soak in as much fresh air as she can. 

The silence was broken by a sweet melody nearby. Slow and mesmerizing, it flowed through her, like water through a sieve, stirring too many emotions at once. The melody was coming from a secluded spot hidden behind a canopy of trees, where it was getting louder. Every dulcet note vibrated and tugged at her heartstrings, calling out to her. Lisa slowly approached, careful not to step on leaves. Peering through, she found her sitting on a fallen tree trunk, eyes closed, her head swaying along with the melancholic melody. She still had her eyes closed, a wistful smile tugged at her lips as she hummed. 

Her hair was braided and tied back with a wide ribbon, a hair pin decorated with pink flowers adorned the side of her head, keeping in place any stray hair. Lisa found herself staring at her longer than she should, unaware that the song had stopped. 

“You have a beautiful voice.” sunlight looked good on Jennie, it reminded Lisa of spring.

Jennie looked back, a brief look of surprise on her face. 

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you, I just happened to be appreciating the view over there and heard --”

“Why do you feel the need to apologize Lisa?” the way she said her name made Lisa look away, her cheeks warming. 

“I don’t know, your song sounded so … personal. I felt like an intruder..”

“Come sit with me,” Jennie gestured to the empty space beside her, the fallen trunk was overgrown with moss and weeds, Lisa had to clear some that may stain her jeogori. “What brings you to this part of the palace?”

Lisa was about to answer when she remembered old man Yuan _“The study we’ve chosen is located near the Kim family, take caution, he is a very powerful man and have strong influence over the decisions made by the Yangban.”_ stopping herself in time. 

“I was taking a walk, I had nothing to do..” Lisa wasn’t technically lying, she only left out the part where she was bored to death at figuring out what to do with the antidote. 

A comfortable silence enveloped them. Jennie didn’t say anything in return, she kept on twisting the end of her chima, playing and tugging at the intricate seams. Lisa tried her best not to stare at her, directing her gaze at the clearing instead. 

“Mae-do meon-jeo maj-neun ge nas-da” Jennie said in a tired voice, her eyes closed

_It’s better to get beaten by the whip first. (매도 먼저 맞는 게 낫다 )_

“Tell me Lisa… do you ever tire of doing what is expected of you?” Jennie breathed deeply and looked at her with an expression she can’t read. 

“No.” Lisa stood up and looked over at Jennie who had a surprised look. “I never knew what was expected of me back then so I never bothered with it. You can’t tire of things you don’t know about right?” Lisa held her hand, gesturing for Jennie to take it. “All these.” gesturing to the forest with her free hand and smiling back at Jennie “is making you sad, why don’t we go and find something more interesting to do Agasshi?”

Jennie’s hand was soft as she took up Lisa’s offer. “What do you have in mind?”

They were making their way back to the palace, treading through the beaten path -- taking their time. 

“I don’t know. I have to go back to -- “ Lisa bit her tongue, stopping herself in time. 

“Back to what?” 

“Uhh.. back to Chaeyoung, she mentioned she needed to change my bandages.” she reasoned out. She did need to have them changed, although she clearly remembered Chaeyoung would be the one to find her, not the other way around. 

They passed by the study and Lisa casually looked back to ensure no one came to see her while she was gone. _The doors are still closed -- good._

“I was asking you a question.” 

“Huh?”

Jennie gave her hand a quick squeeze, her forehead wrinkled in annoyance, “Do you know the way back to Chaeyoung’s clinic?”

“Yes! Of course… I -” Lisa took a sharp left, stringing along Jennie who suddenly stopped, pulling her back in the process. 

“Hey!” 

She gave Lisa a serious look, “No you don’t.” 

“Yes I do.” 

Jennie rolled her eyes “No, if you did we would have gone the other way. Chaeyoung’s clinic is over here.” Before Lisa could answer back, Jennie pulled at her bringing their faces closer “Lisa don’t ever lie to me again.” Flips and flutters, her heart was making a habit out of this.

Her ears were probably red with embarrassment, she suddenly felt hot. “I.. uh… I wasn’t… It was..”

Jennie’s laughter rang out, her cheeks puffing to twice its size. Jennie pulled her out of her stupor, dragging her awkward ass along.

\--------------------------------------------------

They stood awkwardly in front of Chaeyoung’s clinic, Jennie’s demeanor changed as they passed by a couple of ladies in court. She had her back straight and barely said a word to Lisa as they walked, ensuring they had enough space between them. 

“Uh, you can go and do whatever it is you need to. I’ll be fine on my own.” 

“It’s fine, I’m not needed until after lunch.” Jennie knocked “Park Chaeyoung?”

There was no answer. “Park Chaeyoung!?”, the only answer they got was the sound of birds perched on the clinic’s roof. 

 “She must have gone out.” 

“Look, we can go back and go our separate ways. It’s fine I can retrace my steps and --”

She gave Lisa a glare, “Why do you insist on me leaving? Was it not you who offered to escape the comfort of the forest?” 

“Yes, but…”

If people had auras around them indicating emotions. She’d bet her whole yearly allowance Jennie’s aura would be red. She was fuming and huffing, her harsh eyes drilling holes into Lisa. Out of nowhere, she took LIsa’s hand forcefully and dragged her away. Headed for the direction of the quarters. Lisa kept her mouth shut, her wrist burning against Jennie’s surprisingly strong grip as she allowed herself to be led away by a cute, angry looking human personification of a cat. 

A younger looking woman approached them and bowed.

“Seonha, go and fetch me water, a clean cloth and a cloth long enough to tie around her shoulders.” gesturing to Lisa. 

The servant went off to gather what her mistress has instructed. Jennie was still holding her hand as they entered a large room. It was three times larger than the one she had and Lisa already considered that one big. 

“Sit.” Practically pushing Lisa down onto one of the cushion chairs. 

Jennie took the other one in front of her and sat down gruffly. Still shooting daggers at Lisa. 

“Agasshi” the servant was back with everything Jennie has requested, placing them beside her.  

“You may leave. If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I am with an important guest” dismissing her curtly. 

“You.” Lisa gulped, harsh feline eyes looked at her making her squirm. “Come closer.” 

“Wha--”

Jennie rolled her eyes and sat closer to Lisa, her hands were already trying to remove half of her chima. Lisa froze, cold fingertips grazed her shoulder and worked on deftly untying the makeshift bandage exposing her healing wound. Lisa did not want Jennie to see the ugly bruise she had on her side. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Jennie did not fully remove her chima, the bruise safely hidden underneath. Jennie gasped, harsh feline eyes softening as she traced the length of the wound. All of this was making Lisa dizzy, Jennie was so close she could see her beautiful eyelashes and her scent was making Lisa feel things she shouldn’t.

 Jennie still had her fingers against her wound. “I’m sorry.” she sounded so small.

Lisa couldn’t find her voice to answer, she looked at Jennie who went to dip the cloth in the small basin filled with water. She looked so vulnerable as she gently wiped away the remnants of the ointment Chaeyoung used on the wound. The flesh around it was no longer swelling, what was left was a small bruise from when Kai held onto it firmly yesterday. Jennie worked slowly, carefully wiping away the dried blood, and washing the cloth for another round. Jennie looked at her through her lashes, a complete 360 degree turn from her previous mood. She tied the cloth around her shoulder, securing it in place with a brass pin. Lisa looked away, ashamed to admit to herself she craved Jennie’s gentle touch on her shoulder. 

“I’ll tell Jisoo-eonnie to tell Chaeyoung your wound is looking a lot better.”

“Thank you. I was not expecting you to do it yourself.” 

“I wanted to be a physician when I was young, Jisoo-eonnie...she, “ Jennie reddened. “Never mind that. I was told at a young age, not to entertain such foolish dreams. Being a physician was unbecoming for a public official’s daughter.” 

“That’s unfortunate, you have such rigid rules in place.”

“Family and status is important in Joseon Lisa, it is everything.”

“Agasshi, Forgive me I told them you had a guest over, but your father insisted.”

Jennie stood up just in time for a man with a hard set expression on his face barrel through the door. 

“Abanim …”

He stood proudly, garbed in the same robe as the man who welcomed Jungkook when they arrived. He had multiple gold rings on his fingers and had an air of authority as he towered over the men that accompanied him. One of which Lisa saw was Kai. 

“Jennie, I need to talk to you,” his voice stern “and who is this?” as he locked his gaze on Lisa.

“Allow me minister, this is Lisa. An esteemed guest of my brother.” Kai answered, 

“Is that so? Well, it’s a pleasure.” smiling, before addressing Jennie. “Meet me in my study after the afternoon meals.” Turning on his heel and leaving as fast as he arrived. 

“Lisa, forgive me but I need you to leave.” Jennie had her back to her

Lisa could see the subtle change in her posture. Jennie called out to Seonha, instructing her to accompany Lisa back to her quarters. Jennie had proceeded to leave them as she went to her bedchamber as soon as Seonha bowed, not bothering to acknowledge Lisa’s presence.

\-------------------------------------------

Seonha was like any other servant in the palace, silent and tried her best to avert her gaze. Lisa had asked her to accompany her back to the study. She still had to work on what to tell Jungkook for the update. 

“Lisa!”

Park Chaeyoung was smiling at her and waved from the end of the hallway with Jisoo beside her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I added the english translation and hangul for the korean proverb Jennie mentioned in case you guys wanted to look up what it means. I enjoyed writing this chapter, hoping you guys like it. Do tell me what you guys feel about it. We'll get to know more about Chaesoo in the next updates and hopefully more Jenlisa. yay! Have a great day ahead reader!
> 
> P.S. I just learned that there's a rich text option allowing me to italicize inner monologue. Just wanted to share how happy I am at that XD
> 
> P.P.S. sorry I originally wrote the French word Chemin instead of Chima - updated that


	8. SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN 

“We’ve been looking for you all morning.” Chaeyoung was smiling from ear to ear as she went to greet Lisa. “Yong-Min told me you were working on something important for the crown prince and to look for you by the east wing.”

“Hey! I uh, had to step out for a bit. I decided to come by your clinic but you were not there.”  _ that was weird, shouldn’t Yong-Min keep the location of her study a secret? _

“Chaeyoung-ah…” Jisoo looked rather paler than when Lisa met her yesterday, she whispered something to Chaeyoung who looked at her affectionately as she nodded in response. 

“Lisa, we need to change the bandages and re-apply the ointment on your bruise. Will you accompany us back to the clinic? I promise it shouldn’t take long.”

Lisa nodded, turning her attention to Seonha. “Tell your mistress I said thank you, you may take your leave.” 

Seonha bowed deeply addressing Lisa, Chaeyoung and Jisoo, leaving them as she went back towards Jennie’s quarters. 

“That was my sister’s personal servant; Seonha…”

She knew she shouldn’t feel  _ this  _ embarrassed, there’s nothing wrong with being seen with Jennie’s servant.  _ Then why did she feel like a deer caught in the headlights and her cheeks reddening?  _

“Yes, She accompanied me to Chaeyoung’s clinic.”

“Seonha?”

“No… I meant your sister, Kim Jennie… I asked her since I didn’t know the way, and she let Seonha accompany me back to my quarters since I seem to always find myself being lost in this maze of a place.” Lisa played with the hem of her chima, trying her best not to look at Jisoo. 

“Oh, I thought she was with Abanim... I guess she finished earlier than expected.”

“Jisoo, we really do need to get back, you can continue your conversation with Lisa there.” Chaeyoung’s gentle voice broke through the awkward tension as Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. 

\-----------------------------------------------

Chaeyoung talked most of the time as they walked back to her clinic, asking Lisa all sorts of questions regarding her wound and bruise, with Jisoo asking all the appropriate follow up questions. Lisa didn’t mind, it made the walk back less awkward for the three of them. The windows of the clinic were closed when they came back, making the small room feel stuffier than when she first came here. Lisa took the seat opposite of Chaeyoung, who was helping Jisoo be more comfortable beside her and, opening the window allowing the cool breeze inside. 

“So, let me take a look at the wound first.”

Lisa slowly pulled the sleeve of her chima, allowing Chaeyoung to see just enough of her shoulder while keeping most of herself clothed. Shock slowly registered on Chaeyoung’s face which was quickly replaced with a small smile. 

“I didn’t know you already took care of that.” she chose her words carefully, Chaeyoung recognized the seal on the brass pin the moment Lisa showed her. She took a quick glance at Jisoo who’s attention was focused on the vials of ointment and powders by the shelf, giving both of them the privacy they need. 

“Yes, I wasn’t so sure we’d be meeting each other today.”

Chaeyoung pulled her sleeves back up, covering the bandage and keeping the pin safely hidden from Jisoo, nodding to acknowledge Lisa’s answer. She proceeded to hitch the hem of Lisa’s chima to check on the bruise.

“That looks awful…” Jisoo had her attention at the purple mark on Lisa’s side, she gave Chaeyoung a worried look, her voice huskier than usual. 

Chaeyoung was already wiping away the remnants of the ointment, the cloth cool against Lisa’s warm body. Taking her time not to push too hard against the bruise, making Lisa think of Jennie’s gentle touch. Lisa tried her best to divert her attention to the window, she can see how intense Jisoo was gazing at her through the corner of her eye. 

“This should do the trick.” Chaeyoung had applied the ointment, putting her chima back in place as she smiled at her. “You should be all patched up in three days time.”

“Great! Would you want me to come back here tomorrow? Around the same time?”

“There’s no need, you don’t know the way around here yet and it’s quite far from the east wing. Why don’t we meet up by the pavilion the next day? Your bandage seems to be fine, we can change that the day after tomorrow, we just need to re-apply the ointment. The swelling seems to have lessened drastically as well, so it should be a fast recovery from here on.”

Lisa nodded, she can remember how to get back from the study to the pavilion just fine so that shouldn’t be an issue. Jisoo who’s been silent for quite some time, was breathing quite heavily. 

“Chaeyoungie…” Jisoo looked at her with half lidded eyes, 

“Jisoo… what’s the matter?”

“Chaeyoung…I” 

“Jisooie.. look at me… try to breathe in and breathe out slowly.” Chaeyoung was holding Jisoo tenderly in her arms as she whispered soothing words that was inaudible to Lisa. She looked at Jisoo with so much affection that made Lisa squirm and blush. This felt too personal, she knew she shouldn’t be here, this was not for her eyes to witness. Blood was starting to trickle down Jisoo’s nose whose eyes were closed. 

“Lisa? Can you wring that cloth for me and bring that closer?” Chaeyoung whispered, afraid that anything louder might make things worse. 

Lisa did as she was told, while Chaeyoung wiped away at the blood and placed the cool cloth on Jisoo’s forehead who seemed feverish. 

“I’m sorry you had to see her like this. This hasn’t happened for a long time, it must have been from the heat.” Chaeyoung looked at Lisa with sad eyes as she continued to wipe at Jisoo, cooling her off. 

“I could leave if you need me to.”

The bleeding had stopped and Jisoo looked like she had fallen asleep while Chaeyoung placed more pillows behind her, ensuring she was comfortable enough. She whispered something that made Jisoo smile as she nodded weakly, muttering a soft thank you.

“I’m sorry I can’t walk you back Lisa.” she was holding Jisoo’s hand in her own with such tenderness, afraid it would break at any minute. 

“It’s fine, this would be the best time to finally familiarize myself with this place.” Lisa stood up slowly, careful not to make any sound and wake Jisoo up. Her breathing has stabilized, eyelashes fluttering in sync with her slow breathing. 

“Lisa, I trust you’ll keep this a secret?” she had an expectant look on her eyes that begged. Lisa looked at her and then at Jisoo and nodded. She knew she wouldn’t tell a soul even if Chaeyoung hadn’t asked. 

“I’m really good at keeping secrets…” with that Lisa slid the door slowly, turning her back -- unaware of how Chaeyoung kissed Jisoo on the cheeks briefly, before sitting close to her looking out the window with a sigh. 

\--------------------------------------------------

It took Lisa a couple of tries before finally reaching the study. The scene back at Chaeyoung’s clinic kept replaying in her head.  _ Is Jisoo sick? _ She’d been standing in front of the door for a while,  _ is this why Jennie wanted to become a physician when they were young?  _ A lot of things has happened in the short  two days she’d been in Joseon, she can’t help but wonder how tragedy seemed to accompany most of the time she’d been in this period. She ran her fingers through her hair, sighing. She knew in time she’d get the answers to all the unvoiced questions she had, now she had to focus on the antidote. 

“Lisa!”

_ Great, what now? _

“Seja Jeoha…” that sounded weird, she wasn’t comfortable with how that came out. 

“I will be leaving this afternoon and will be back in three days, I need to take Yong-min with me for this. Will you be fine here? I have ordered my servants to ensure you’re well taken care of, as well as advised them not to have anyone disturb you when you are here.” 

“I should be, yes.”  _ this is great news!  _ Lisa found herself smiling at this new information, she didn’t have to worry about the antidote for three whole days!

“Do take note of the progress you have with the antidote here.” Jungkook held out a bound book, Lisa could see it was filled halfway already. “I snuck this from the official secretariat of my father’s court and left an imitation to make sure they don’t find out.” he winked at her before continuing. “It includes everything that has happened to my father when he got ill, from the treatments to the symptoms. We make sure everything is recorded. I trust you would do the same?” 

_ And here I thought I’d be getting a free pass for three days.  _

“Of course....” Lisa faked a smile, her mind already in overdrive as she looked at the book in her hands. 

“Well then, I will be leaving this in your capable hands. Thank you Lisa…” he took her hand in his and smiled. Bowing to kiss it softly just above her knuckles. 

\--------------------------------------------------------

Lisa had been staring at the notes since Jungkook left, trying her best to make sense of the things written on it. The book was quite heavy, leather bound and painted bright red. An engraved dragon seal adorned it’s cover, signifying the seal of the King of Joseon.

_ Two moons after the Seollal Festival: _

_ The king has been struck with an odd malady.  _

_ King has complained to court physicians of intense headaches during evenings before the festival. King lost consciousness and was having chills accompanied by a fever _

_ Five moons after Daeborum festival: _

_ King has been advised Song-gen tea every morning and Lee Mon-Hyul has been called out to administer Acupuncture and have prescribed Hanyak to be provided every morning before morning meals.  _

_ Three full moons after the Hansik festival: _

_ Rashes has begun to appear in King’s upper body, palms and soles of the feet. Sores filled with water has slowly began appearing and covering the King’s entire body. _

_ King has been exempted from taking participation in the festivities, granting the crown prince temporary power with the guidance of the Yangban.  _

Lisa, has read and re-read the same page over and over again.  _ okay , the King has sores all over his body, fever and chills for almost two years. What now?  _ She closed the book and ran her fingers over the seal one more time, willing it to somehow give her magical abilities to cure whatever disease the king had. It was already getting dark and her dinner sat untouched on the table beside her.  _ This was going to be a long week _

\----------------------------------------------

Lisa has decided to go back to her quarters bringing along the damn book with her, afraid someone might sneak in and find out their little secret. Speaking of secrets, Lisa had hoped Jisoo was feeling a lot better, she can only imagine what atrocities Kim Yang-Hwan would have ordered against Chaeyoung if he found out. He was the sort of man who, regardless of the evidence provided would still have his own whim followed. 

Lisa took a right down the hallway, a couple of walks away from the study when she heard voices. 

“May I remind you of your duties as my daughter. You do realize you have little say in this discussion?”

Liza froze, wait that sounded like Jennie’s father. Lisa could see candle light spilling through a crack by the door, allowing Lisa to take a quick peek inside. Kim Yang-Hwans features looked even harsher against the shadows cast by the candle light inside the lamp. He was sitting by the head of the table, his eyes locked with -- Jennie’s. Lisa could tell from the way her hair was braided and the way she sat -- with confidence and elegance. She had her back to the door. Lisa pushed on the door slowly, forcing it to open a bit more. Lisa held her breath, as it slid without a sound. This provided her with much better view as she can make out a third person in the room, it’s shadow against the red walls. 

“Abanim… all I ask is time. Surely you can afford me with that much courtesy given how this is all happening quite so soon?” 

Her father did not answer immediately instead he took one of his rings off of his thumb, playing with it between his hands, wrinkles deepening in thought. 

“You have a month, no more than that.”

Jennie nodded, the third person in the room moved towards them when the book in Lisa’s hand slipped. Jennie turned around towards the sound as her father stood up. 

“Who’s there?”

Lisa picked up the book and ran as fast as she could behind one of the banisters, trying her best to even out her breathing as she bit on the insides of her cheeks. 

“I don’t see anyone Abanim, it must have been an animal.” Lisa could hear Jennie’s voice, probably taking a look outside to see what caused the commotion. For a minute Lisa could hear nothing but silence and the blood rushing to her ears as she held onto the book with her dear life.  _ Ten seconds… twenty seconds…  _ Lisa heard the door slid close. 

Taking a quick look back she saw the door to Kim Yang-Hwan’s study has been fully closed, Lisa bolted. Running as fast as she could silently until she reached the outside of her room. 

_ F*ck….  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to alex222569 for the reminder! Please vote for BLACKPINK on idolpick, mgma, kca tca and soba
> 
> Please use the hashtags #MGMAVOTE #BLACKPINK @ygofficialblink for MGMA <3


	9. EIGHT

Lisa yawned for the fifth time, she spent most of the night tossing and turning in her bed as she tried to shake off the uneasiness that nagged at her. Dreaming of palace guards storming into her room with an angry Kim Yang-Hwan dragging her outside and cutting her head off didn’t help either. 

She’d been cooped up inside the study most of the morning. Chaeyoung had been true to her word about meeting by the pavilion to re-apply the ointment. Lisa had to admit it was weird seeing her without Jisoo tagging along. 

_ “You look like sh*t, how’s Jisoo-shi?” _

_ Chaeyoung had always reminded Lisa of sunshine and summer -- the perfect embodiment of both, and yet here she was …  _

_ “I’m going to assume that meant I look awful?” _

_ Lisa mentally kicked herself -- she needs to stop this habit of using words invented 500 years from their time period.  _

_ “Sorry.. I get carried away sometimes, I keep forgetting this isn’t Thailand.” Lisa was getting better at making up excuses  “I meant to say you look tired than usual, but yeah… I guess you could put it that way.” _

_ Chaeyoung smiled wistfully, her hair was down and it kept getting in the way as she wiped off the dried ointment on Lisa’s side. “She’s… fine… better is what I wanted to say.” She let out a deep sigh “Better is... what I want her to be.”  _

_ Chaeyoung hated this. She’d always believed herself to be an effective physician. She knew she wasn’t that great … there were a lot of better physicians out there in the Kingdom but hell, she always tries her best to ensure her patients were well taken care of. Granted, there will always be people who were too far down the line to be saved, a lot of those were from poor families from neighboring villages when she was still an assistant at a village clinic. But... Jisoo was the exception, will always be the exception for her. Somehow, fate thought otherwise.  _

_ Lisa looked on in amusement, Chaeyoung was the type of person who had a hard time hiding what she felt. She could read a couple of emotions flash across her face as she stayed silent, unaware she had stopped midway, her hand still on Lisa’s side.  _

_ “You can tell me whatever it is that’s bothering you Chaeyoung.” Lisa placed her hand on top of Chaeyoung’s slowly, careful not to startle her.  _

_ “I appreciate that… “  _

_ “I mean it.” _

_ “I meant what I said too…” Chaeyoung sat upright, giving Lisa’s hand a playful slap. She wanted to tell someone so badly, but…  _

_ “Look... if you’re worried about me telling every person I bump into, your precious secret -- don’t. The only other people I talk to is you, and the crown prince. Yong-Min clearly hates my existence, if you count glares as conversations then yes… add Yong-Min to the list.”  _

_ It was good to finally hear Chaeyoung laugh. “I think your missing Kim Jennie from your list.” her left eyebrow raised in jest as she took note of Lisa’s reddening cheeks. “Look, I’m sorry for thinking that about you.” _

_ Lisa nodded, hoping she’d tell her more. It was Chaeyoung’s call if she wanted to, she knew she shouldn’t press her to open up about something as sensitive as this.  _

_ She heard Chaeyoung putting her things away in a little basket she brought along with her. “Jisoo’s sick…” she had turned her face away from Lisa, “She’s …. She’s very sick and I …. I’ve been…”  Chaeyoung choked, burying her face in her hands as the tears she tried to stop, spilled. She hated how easily her resolve crumbled when it comes to Jisoo. She tried to swallow down the pain and guilt that rose from her chest, snaking its way around her heart -- making it hard to breath.  She gave of a sound halfway between a wheeze and a choked laugh. “I hate myself more and more each day Lisa. it… kills me ..inside everytime I see her in pain. I … I … just want a way to take all that pain from her. I ask the Gods every night … let it be me. She doesn’t deserve any of this. She’s such a sweet sweet girl and… “ She was shaking her head roughly, laughing bitterly as the tears continued to fall.  _

_ Lisa held her in a tight embrace, tracing small little circles on her back as her delicate frame shook, making her look smaller, hot tears staining Lisa’s hanbok. Chaeyoung burrowed further into Lisa’s neck, clinging to the other girl’s shoulders.  _

_ “I’d take it all away in a heartbeat Lisa. Oh how I’d take it all away… “  _

_ They stayed that way for a while, Chaeyoung wishing it was her -- over and over again as she cried. Cried until there were no more tears left. Lisa said nothing, just kept on with the circular motions against Chaeyoung’s back as she hummed.  _

_ Chaeyoung froze, “I’m sorry.... I … your clothes, it’s wet… “ trying to push herself away from Lisa’s embrace.  _

_ “Shhh…” Lisa tightened her hold, “Why don’t you tell me more about Jisoo… We can worry about that later.” _

_ She could feel Chaeyoung smile against her neck. “I will, but if anyone sees us like this…” She could only imagine how it looked like to someone who didn't know the context behind such an intimate scene, how scandalous it might have looked to the judgemental eyes of Joseon nobility. _

_ Lisa pulled away at around the same time as Chaeyoung, both laughing at how awkward it might have been if someone walked in on that tender moment.  _

_ “I’m sorry, I didn’t know what to do… I kind of suck, I mean I’m not good at this comforting thing.” _

_ Chaeyoung’s eyes were red and puffy, “you did great for someone inexperienced… “Laughing as she sniffled, wiping away the remaining tears off her face. “I’ve overstayed my visit. You don’t know how hard it was to explain why I needed to see you and take you away from your important task, to the crown prince’s entourage. I had to state a hundred reasons to pass by their watchful gaze.” She gave Lisa a sad smile. “Come visit me sometime, I promise I’ll tell you everything. I forgot how it felt to have someone to share your burdens to. The Joseon Gods stand witness at how I’ve tried to keep it all to myself for so long.”  _

_ “You don’t have to keep it to yourself anymore Chaeng.” Lisa returned the smile, “I’ll be here if you need anyone to talk to.” _

_ Chaeyoung’s face lit up at the mention of the new nickname. “Thank you.” _

The pounding on the door pulled Lisa from her thoughts. 

“Agasshi!”

_ Was it lunch already? _

“Lady, Agasshi Kim Jennie requests to speak with you.”  

Lisa’s blood rushed to her face at the mere mention of her name. Lisa quickly hid the book behind the containers at the bottom shelf, ensuring it wasn’t visible to anyone who didn’t know about it’s hiding spot. Lisa moved to the door, satisfied that nothing looked out of the ordinary. She made a mental note to ensure Jungkook doesn’t find out. He and Yuan made it clear -- no visitors, especially Kim Yang-Hwan’s daughter. 

\----------------------------------------

Lisa was met with a serious Jennie as soon as she slid open the door

“Can we talk?” Jennie’s brown eyes were unreadable,

“What do we need to talk about?” Lisa played it cool, she was still upset at the way Jennie dismissed her the last time they met, not that it mattered to anyone but her. 

Jennie rolled her eyes in annoyance, “I’m not here to play your little game of dominance Manoban. Let’s take a walk in the forest, shall we? Your attendants, and  _ you -- _ is eating up what little patience I have left.” 

She turned on her heel as soon as she finished. Giving little time for Lisa to close the door and sprint after her, nostrils flaring in irritation.

\---------------------------------------

They took the same path through the forest, keeping their distance from each other. 

“You said we needed to talk, now talk.” 

Jennie stopped in her tracks long enough to answer “not here, just a little further.” before continuing.

Lisa was too emotionally taut to object and followed suit. The foliage grew thicker as they continued. Jennie looking back every five minutes to ensure Lisa was still there. The path had long disappeared beneath fallen leaves and overgrown grass. For someone as small as Jennie, it took Lisa some time to catch up to her pace. Jennie’s sudden stop made Lisa bump into her. 

“Oof…”

Jennie took her hand and tugged her forward before she could recoil from the impact. Lisa wasn’t prepared for what happened next. If she thought the clearing from before was beautiful, it didn’t compare to what she was seeing now. She’d be lying if she said this wasn’t breathtaking. There was a small waterfall, flower’s of all shapes and colors in different hues filled the banks. The air was thick with their sweet scent. Jennie was pulling at her, guiding her to a little clearing beneath huge trees providing relief from the sunlight. She sat on the grass, motioning for Lisa to do the same. They both appreciated the view in silence. 

“I don’t know why you took me here to talk when all you’ve been doing so far is being silent.”

Jennie didn’t answer, silence was beginning to become their thing. 

“Look, I’m tired of playing mind games with you Kim Jennie, if you plan on staying silent the whole time, leave me out of it. I’m leaving.”

Jennie hand’s shoot up, holding onto her own forcing Lisa to sit back down. 

“Stay…” Jennie’s voice hitched, “i'm sorry about yesterday... “ 

Lisa sat back down, fully aware of Jennie’s hands on her own. A lot of things were running in her head and yet she can’t focus on any one of them. Jennie was looking at her with the same pleading eyes when they first met. Lisa had too many questions she wanted to ask.

“I needed time away from the palace. This…” Jennie gestured at the waterfall “is my hiding place when everything becomes unbearable.”

“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this Agasshi.”

“Can we drop the formalities? My ears are fed up with that title.” 

“I still don’t know why we’re having this conversation… Jennie.” Lisa was surprised at how easily her name rolled off her tongue.

“Does everything have to make sense to you Lisa?” There was something in her voice that made Lisa look back at her. Jennie’s eyes softened, sunlight brought out the tiny little flecks of gold, making them stand out against dark brown.

“Only when it’s something I really want.” 

Jennie was still holding on to her hands, her skin burned where her fingers lingered. 

“What do you want then?” her voice was huskier than usual, her eyes half closed as she bit her bottom lip. Lisa was acutely aware of the sudden shift in the atmosphere, Jennie was looking at her lips intently and Lisa found herself holding her breath they closed the distance. 

Lisa stopped herself -- eyes closed, lips barely grazing Jennie’s. Her breath hitched, she was suddenly afraid of opening them, afraid that if she did she’d be back in that small dingy study, afraid that this was all a dream. Jennie’s soft hands grazed over her cheeks lightly, fingers like feathers as she pulled Lisa closer. 

Her lips brushed against hers, softly. Lisa could feel Jennie smile through the kiss, lingering just long enough for her to inhale her breath, and feel the warmth of it on her skin. Lisa tried to pull away slightly, but before she could, Jennie wrapped her arms around her neck -- kissing her back. 

This wasn't like the other kisses she'd had back home. Every kiss she had before this felt sloppy and forced. Jennie's lips were soft and moist, tasting of sweet honey and tea. The heat rose in her cheeks, sending down delicious waves of indescribable feelings down to the pit of her stomach.  _ Is this what they refer to as butterflies in your stomach?  _ The kiss felt firmer, more determined. Lisa seeking to chase down that elusive, invisible current that flowed between them in this moment. 

“I’ve always wanted what I can’t have Jennie… always.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to vote for the girls in the TCA's :). Have a great day ahead reader!


	10. NINE

* * *

 

Lisa could still taste her, felt her hot breath against her own hot skin, could still feel her tender touches..  Lisa’s lips craved for more contact -- wanting to fill the insatiable thirst in her chest the moment they broke off the kiss.

Jennie’s left hand was still entangled in her hair, the other caressing her cheek, her thumb tracing an imaginary line across her jaw-- back and forth, back and forth. The gesture was making Lisa lightheaded.

“People desire things they can never have Lisa... ” Jennie whispered, looking away. “And… we… we seem to always gravitate towards that desire, unaware of this invisible string pulling us along, no matter how hard we try to walk away from it. Only...fate doesn’t think of it that way. We … will always need things we never want and fate demands us to fulfill that need and to forget about anything else in between, doing everything in its power for us to do so.” 

“I don’t understand what you --”

She gave her a sad smile “It does not have to matter now Lisa, you’ll realize soon enough” 

Lisa moved away. Jennie’s caresses stung, every single touch made Lisa ache. An invisible weight pulling her heart to the pit of her stomach but not in the beautiful way Jennie’s kiss had, this was drowning her. Jennie’s words left a sense of dread that she can’t get rid of, an emptiness she was aching to fill. 

“We need to get back… your attendants are probably scouring the palace the moment they realize I stole you away from them. I do not intend to offend the crown prince.” She stood up, offering Lisa her hand who took it without a word. 

Lisa tried her best to ignore the urge to pull her in an embrace, wanting so much to bury her face in the delicate crook of her neck and to take in her scent. 

“You want me to forget what happened between us? Don’t you?” Lisa hated the way her voice shook.

“I’d rather we not talk about it.” Jennie was leading her back the way they came.

‘It’s the exact same thing.” 

“You’re construing my words differently. Not talking about it does not mean it never happened.”

Jennie stopped briefly, giving Lisa’s hand a quick gentle squeeze. “It’s something that shouldn’t have happened between us but did. Let’s leave it as it should be.”

“I don’t get you. You always say one thing and do the exact opposite. You confuse me far better than a 100 item exam over a subject I’m not good at. You’re frustratingly puzzling and you…”

Jennie spun around. Pulling Lisa to her, their faces almost touching. 

“You amuse me, but you talk too much for your own good. Let’s drop the conversation here. Despite all that happened back there, we’re still strangers to each other, are we not? Let me give you a little advice I’ve learned throughout the years I’ve spent watching my father and the other officials. _Never wade in water you’ve only grazed the surface of.”_

“What if I know how to swim?”

Jennie’s laughed echoed, “You’re a very persistent person -- a very dangerous quality to have in this Kingdom. It’s not the shallowness nor the depth of the water that should scare you. It’s what’s in the water Lisa.” 

“I can take care of whatever it is that’s in the water. You don’t get the point.”

“No I don’t. Look, your curiosity got the best of you, my amusement got the better of me. We were simply fulfilling what we both wanted to know, it doesn’t have to have meaning.” They were standing right where Lisa found her singing yesterday. Aglow and as beautiful as spring beneath the sun. 

Lisa walked past her, how can someone make her feel so… so happy and then aggravate her at the same time in a span of a couple of minutes? She didn’t look back when jennie called out to her. She was running … running as fast as she can. Ensuring she kept a huge distance between them, 

\----------------------------------------------

Lisa was panting by the time she reached the study. One of the attendants Jungkook has entrusted to take care of her while he was gone was waiting by the door.

“Agasshi, we have your meal ready.” 

“I refuse to meet anyone today, if anyone comes looking for me -- tell them I have resigned back to my quarters and have taken a much needed rest and should not in any given situation, under any circumstance be disturbed. Understand?” Lisa was spitting out the words in anger, a tiny voice in her head berating her for taking out her frustration at the servant.

“As you wish Agasshi.” bowing to acknowledge her requests.

“I mean it -- anyone. Even if it’s the crown prince himself if ever he arrives sooner than he should.”

The servant excused himself and Lisa closed the door to the study, collapsing on to the floor the moment she slid it close. Unaware of the hot tears that broke free as she punched the floor in anger. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way. She’d met her for what? Three days. Three days and she was already finding herself crying over someone who she barely knew. Maybe Jennie was right. Whatever happened between them, shouldn’t have.  

_But she kissed me back, pulled me closer to her._

Lisa cursed under her breath, she had her arms around her knees burrowing her face further into her arms. 

“Lisa! I know you’re in there!”

_Great… where were the attendants when she needed them?_

“I refuse to believe the lies your entourage is feeding me with. I had Seonha look into your quarters -- it’s empty.” 

Lisa could hear the shuffle of feet just outside. 

“Can we at least hold a decent conversation with each other?” the harshness in her voice was gone, “Please... “ 

Lisa opened the door. The servant was red in the face, trying his best to try and fend off a fierce looking Jennie who, as much as she was small, looked quite intimidating.

“I try to, but you always seem to mess it up somehow.”

Lisa dismissed the attendant who squirmed beneath her glare. 

“Why don’t you come inside?” she still had the book hidden from view. 

Lisa waited for Jennie before closing the door. She looked smaller inside as she looked around awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

“You can take the seat by the table, I’m fine with standing over here.”

“Lisa, I apologize - “

“What’s there to be sorry about? You’ve already explained, why bother doing it again?”

Jennie let out an audible sigh, “and here I thought I was the most difficult person to deal with…”

“You are.”

Jennie chuckled, making Lisa twitch her lips in annoyance. “I’m well aware of that, thank you. It has been quite the scandal here when I went off on my own…I never liked the strict rules they have laid out for ladies such as myself. The palace can be quite suffocating.” She was tilting her head, a look of amusement before she continued, “Which reminds me, I would have to thank them for pushing me off the brink. I would have never bumped into you if they didn’t” 

“There you are again, talking about one thing when you came here to talk about something else. Make up your mind _agasshi.”_ Lisa placed extra emphasis on the title 

Jennie smiled at her, her childlike persona finally coming out. Lisa tried her best not to smile at the cute way her cheeks puffed, _dumplings.. ._

“Can we start over? We always seem to go for each other's throat whenever we’re together somehow.” Lisa’s cheeks colored at the double meaning. 

“There is no denying the attraction we have for each other. Let’s try to get to know each other more, be friends…”

“Fine.” 

Jennie did a double take, she was expecting more resistance from the taller girl. 

“Tell me about yourself. Let’s start there, shall we?”

Jennie smiled and gestured for Lisa to come closer. She sat by the door though, ensuring she was far away from Jennie as possible. 

“Hmmm. Kai has told you about Abanim, how he is in service to the Yangban and the King. You have met my older sister Jisoo. My mother died when I was young, claimed by a disease that swept through the kingdom many years ago... what more do you want to know?” Jennie spoke softly, careful not to aggravate the taller girl who was giving her a weird look. 

“Where were you off to when you bumped into me?” 

“I told you, I tried to venture off on my own. Father’s men had caught up to me and I wanted to hide behind the trees, I didn’t see you, when I did it was too late for me to stop.”

Lisa nodded, she had many other questions she’d like to ask but knew that now wasn’t the right time for that. She looked at Jennie intently, trying to capture the little nuances as she spoke. 

“Your turn.”

“Hmm?”

“Your turn Lisa. I’d be at the losing end of this little compromise we have if you don’t plan on sharing.”

“I’m not from here.”

“I know, we all know. Are you doing this on purpose to spite me?” Jennie smirked,

“No, I mean -- I’m not from this period.” Lisa didn’t know why she felt the need to tell Jennie this. “I come from a time period hundreds of years from now. At a time where all this   -- would be history. Something we study to learn more of what happened in Korea's past. One day, those garments you’re wearing would only be reserved for special occasions, a time where there are no more kings, no crown princes, no grand princes, a time where the Yangban would be replaced with a different form of governance.” Lisa looked at Jennie, trying to read her reaction to the new set of information she laid out. 

Jennie looked rather calm and unaffected, never breaking eye contact with Lisa. The growing silence prompted Lisa to continue. “I was studying in a library -- not the kind Jungkook has in that huge building. Well… actually it’s sort of the same but not quite. I was .. uh.. Writing a term paper for a class I was taking, about the history of art in the Joseon Dynasty -- that’s the name we have for this time period. It lasted for a couple of centuries by the way, before it met its downfall. Please don’t ask me to elaborate on that, I was never good at listening during classes so I don’t know much.” 

“What happened then? What brought you here?” Jennie had her body inclined towards Lisa, invested in knowing her story as much as Lisa wanted to finally tell someone. She had hoped it was with someone who she was far less emotionally attached to - like Chaeng…

“There was this uh.. Weird cat, cute but he was weird nonetheless. I followed him to a room filled with paintings and stumbled on one he was practically invested in and everything was kind of wrong with it, It made me so nauseous I guess I passed out. The next thing I knew I woke up where you came crashing into me. Now I have no way of knowing how to get back and the crown prince is convinced I’m the only one who can save his dying father.”

 _Sh*t!_ She was supposed to leave that little detail out. 

“What do you mean Seja is convinced you’re the only one who can save the King?” 

 _Great job Lisa,_ the cat was already out of the bag and she couldn’t think of anything nor could she magically take it back now. 

“He … uh. I’m not supposed to tell you this! Yong-Min will kill me!”

“Yong-Min is Jungkook’s loyal dog, he won’t bite unless he’s told to by his master. As long as you continue to be an asset to the prince you are in no real peril -- unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless you choose to not do his bidding. Jungkook may look calm and harmless but he is very much the King’s son and anyone who tries to defy him will receive the end of a sharp sword… Lisa? My father has been working with the other officials to ensure the King’s health is restored, that much I know -- I had no knowledge that the situation appears to be more serious than what they make it out to be. Do you know whatever it is your doing?” _wait, did Lisa just hear worry in Kim Jennie’s voice?_

“You’re worried about me Agasshi? That’s sweet… but”

“I’m not, I’m merely ensuring you don’t get yourself in unnecessary situations you can’t get out of. You said so yourself, you’re not from here. I believe you know nothing about the customs and ways we have. The hierarchy in this Kingdom is pretty much set, you’re a foreigner regardless of the fact that you are Seja’s esteemed guest, he can only do so much when the Yangban has made a decision. He is not King, and from what I know every important decision impacting the welfare of the Kingdom is decided upon by the council -- not him. They can have your head cut off for something as harmless as breathing against the King’s cheek.”

“Christ, Jennie you make it sound so scary…”

“Because it is… I’ve seen so many deaths under the hands of the Yangban… so tell me, honestly,  do you have any idea as to what you’re doing?”

Lisa let out a long sigh, running her hands through her hair. “No I don't. See that shelf over there? I’m supposed to create an antidote for whatever illness your King has from whatever there is on that shelf. Aside from the fact that I have no idea what most of those are and for what they’re for -- I’m not sure which of those is deadly. Past time periods have a trend in doing more damage than curing illnesses with your prehistoric methods and... I majored in dance..`` Jennie’s eyebrows raised in question. “That means uh, I study dance,,, not medicine”

“You’re studying to become a gisaeng? There are people from your time who would like to become a gisaeng? People here in Joseon thinks lowly of them, do you not regret your choice?” 

“Stop it with the lecture, won’t you? Times have changed, dancing isn’t some form of work one should be embarrassed about -- it’s art. And no… we don’t have gisaengs anymore so stop with the judgmental tone.”

“I’m sorry… Why did you not tell Jungkook about this? It could have saved you from this predicament you’ve chosen to get yourself into.” 

“Do you think I have a choice? It’s either I go along with it or I’m off to fend for myself outside these walls. _Alone.”_

Jennie stood up, “If that’s the case, come with me.”

Jennie hoisted Lisa up, smiling at her. “Where are we going?”

“To Chaeyoung, lest you forget she’s a physician. She is well acquainted with most if not everything on that shelf.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not.” There she is again with the harsh feline eyes.

“I’ve already dug my own grave when I told you about this. I’m supposed to keep this a secret.” 

“Your inexperience in politics shows. What the crown prince does not know, will not hurt him. Park Chaeyoung can keep a secret. If you want to keep your head intact to your body, she is the only chance you have.”

“Fine…”

Jennie beamed, grabbing Lisa’s arm and dragging her towards the direction of Chaeng’s clinic. 

_This feels all too familiar._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry... 
> 
> Oh and, has anyone seen the new choreo for Lisa's swalla? It's so gooood.


	11. TEN

* * *

Chaeyoung was looking back and forth at the two women who stood outside her door. She’d opened it a crack the moment she heard voices outside who seemed to be arguing. 

“Hi?”

“Park Chaeyoung, hello…” Jennie turned towards her, smiling from ear to ear

“Hi Chaeng.” Lisa looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but there, 

“Uhh… how can I help you two? Is anyone of you hurt or…”

“Oh! No.. no… uhh…” Lisa waved her hands frantically, quick to cut her off. “We’re here to discuss something with you...about uh…”

“Chaeyoungie?” The familiar voice of Jisoo called out from inside the room. 

“Why don’t you two come inside? We’ll talk more about it here.” She said through an awkward smile.

Jisoo looked surprised upon seeing Jennie and confused when she saw Lisa enter the clinic after her. 

“Jennie?”

“Eonnie, how are you feeling?” Jennie went straight to Jisoo and hugged her. 

“I’m fine, Chaeyoung has been taking good care of me. What brings you here?” 

Jennie looked up at Lisa who was trying to avoid her gaze, suddenly interested in the view outside the window. “We came to talk to Chaeyoung about something important.”

Chaeng gave Lisa a raised brow upon Jennie’s answer. “Can we talk outside for a while?” she gestured for the door as she looked at LIsa. 

“Uh.. sure,”

Lisa followed Chaeyoung outside who slowly closed the door behind her. She made sure no one was in the hallway before pulling Lisa a couple of feet away from the clinic, far enough to ensure they won’t be heard inside. 

“When I asked you to visit me sometime, I was not expecting this... I was expecting more of you and less of Kim Jennie.” Chaeyoung whispered, looking at her curiously, 

“I kind of hoped for the same thing. Something came up and we really do need to talk to you. And we mean “you” -- not you and Jisoo..”

“If you have something to tell me, you can tell it with Jisoo there.” 

Lisa was aware of the subtle hint of annoyance in Chaeng’s voice. “I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just… the less people know about this the better.”

“Jisoo… can stay silent during situations that require her to stay silent. You tell me, you tell her. No buts --”

Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose, she could feel a headache building up, “Fine… let’s just get this over with. Shall we?” 

Chaeyoung nodded.

_________________________________

Lisa took a deep breath upon finishing her story -- she included everything she told Jennie, and explained her situation in detail. She kept her gaze fixated on Chaeyoung who looked confused, then shocked and by now was shaking her head in frustration. 

“I’ll lose my mind any minute now, if any of you don’t say anything.” Lisa said through gritted teeth, the silence was beginning to make her jumpy..

“If we understand this right, you need Chaeyoung’s help with creating an antidote for the King…” Jisoo asked slowly, putting emphasis on her words as she spoke 

“Yes. that’s the plan.” Jennie answered. 

“And you two think she’ll be able to accomplish this?” Jennie and Lisa nodded “Accomplish something the others failed to do? Others being renowned physicians across the kingdom?”

Lisa cringed, she hasn’t thought about that “Shouldn’t you be more supportive of Chaeyoung’s abilities?” 

“I hate to be the bringer of bad news but… Jisoo has a point.” Chaeyoung stood up and went over to the open window. “I don’t think I can help you with that.” 

“But you’re a physician! You’re bound to know a thing or two about antidotes!” 

“I’m a physician -- not a miracle worker. I can’t even…” Chaeyoung stopped, “Look … I do know a thing or two about herbal medicine but unless I see whatever symptoms the King is harboring I won’t be able to help you on that.” 

“We’ll take you to him, I can talk to the guards or… we’ll think of something.” Jennie looked at Chaeyoung who was pacing back and forth, deep in thought. 

“Why are you so invested in this?” Jisoo looked at her curiously, her long black hair spilled as she made herself comfortable in her seat. 

Jennie blushed, but managed to turn herself away from Lisa and Jisoo’s gaze in time. “It’s just…”

“She’s doing this to make up for something she did. Let’s just focus on what needs to be done here, please?” Lisa was beginning to get annoyed. 

“I’d very much love to help you out with this Lisa but… female physicians are not allowed to work on male patients, the same goes for male physicians -- which is why they brought you here when you first arrived and not to Mingyu.” Chaeyoung let out a long sigh. “ Even if Jennie can talk us into getting into his bedchamber, which I _highly_ doubt -- no offense. Do you think the Yangban would approve of me doing a full body check given my status?”

Lisa was hoping it wouldn’t come to this… “You only need to know his symptoms right? Or do you need to do a full physical check up on him?”

“Knowing the symptoms would do, but… it would still be best for me to do a full physical check just to be sure. As I’ve said though, I can work with knowing what’s wrong with him. Hopefully it isn’t something I’m not familiar with.”

“Why don’t you all come with me back to the study. I have something to show you.” Lisa stood up, the three women looked up at her in question. “Well? We don’t have all day.”

___________________________________

The small room felt stuffier than usual given that it housed four women than the usual one. Chaeyoung was busy looking at the shelf, marvelling at how it had such an impressive collection of ingredients. Jennie gave up her seat to Jisoo who was looking at them with an amused expression. 

“So… is this what you wanted to show us? This is impressive! I’ve never seen so much ingredients in my whole time as a physician.” Chaeyoung was practically the only one who was giddy.

“No… granted I was also impressed by that, impressed at how much I’m unfamiliar with everything in this time period…” Lisa crouched and reached for the red book, shaking off the dust from the cover and setting it on top of the table. 

“Wait… this is…” Jisoo’s eyes widened. 

“The official record of the King’s medical history… where did you get this?” Jennie asked through a hushed voice, fingers barely grazing the seal. 

“Jungkook gave it to me before he left.” Opening the pages to where she last read about the King’s illness. “He asked me to record all of the progress I’ve made with the antidote, which of course is - nothing, given that I don’t have any idea of what I should be doing.”  

“This is illegal, if the Yangban finds out it’s not in the King’s library... you’d best say farewell to your head Lisa.”  Chaeyoung was clutching her hands on her chest, eyes fixated on the damn book. 

“Look, why don’t you all relax? The crown prince said something about leaving an imitation in its place to fool the King’s council.” 

“You think an imitation could fool the elders in the Yangban? I’m seriously questioning who’s fooling who.” 

“You know, as much as I like how you’re being the voice of reason at the moment, it’s not helping me with my anxiety Jisoo.” 

“Apologies…  it’s just…  I was expecting more from the crown prince. His own stupidity can put us all at risk.” Jisoo looked at Chaeyoung who seemed too afraid to approach the open book 

“No one has barged into the study demanding my head in exchange for the missing book yet … so I guess he might not be as stupid as we think.” Lisa was beginning to question everything at this point. 

Chaeyoung let out an audible sigh of relief and looked over the notes upon Lisa’s reasoning. She looked at the shelf and then back to the book -- doing this again and again until she finished off the whole entry. 

“Hmmm… this is odd. He’s showing symptoms of that plague many years ago… the one that claimed…”

“Our mother?” Jennie finished off, eyes glued to the book. 

“Yes… but it’s odd since people afflicted with it only lived for a week or two and the King is still alive. From what we’ve gathered here -- he’s been afflicted with this for two years now…”

“So? What do you plan on doing with this?” Jisoo looked over at the book, her forehead creased in curiosity. 

“I can make a powder we can try on the sores -- it’s the same thing the head physician at Hongdae prescribed that might help with drying out the sores, if it’s not the same disease then I’m not sure what might happen. I’m just hoping it wouldn’t cause an allergic reaction. Anything that might make things worse would be very bad for you,” Chaeyoung looked at Lisa, waiting for her words to sink in.

“I’m just about ready for anything at this point.” 

“Why don’t you create remedies for each of the symptoms and we’ll try and mix them up afterwards. Wouldn’t that work?” Jennie offered, 

“It might, honestly I’m not so sure if mixing different remedies would affect their potency but we could try? That is if you’re fine with that?” They all eyed Lisa who hated how she was always in the spotlight at the moment.

“Yes, we could try that. As I’ve said I’m just about ready for anything and I mean _anything_ at this point.” 

“Great! Then we’ll start off with the pow--”

They all heard shuffling outside the study and hurried voices cutting them off as they looked at each other with a panicked expression.

“Seja Jeoha!” the attendants outside sang out in chorus. 

“Sh*t!” Lisa ducked, signaling the rest to do the same. 

“You said he won’t be back until the day after tomorrow!” Jennie hissed, careful not to be too loud. 

“That’s what he said!.” silencing them with a glare. “I’ll try and talk to him outside, pray to your Gods he doesn’t decide to barge in on us or we’ll all be headless come tomorrow morning.” 

_Great, Jungkook always had perfect timing…_

Lisa stood up slowly, as she went through countless reasons her panicked mind was coming up with. 

“Is Lisa inside?” he sounded distant. 

_Good, that means he’s still far away._

“Forgive us Wang Seja, she went out a while ago. We haven’t seen her come back yet.” 

“It’s fine, I’ll try and see if she’s there.”

Lisa opened the door, careful not to open it too wide and reveal the three women cowering by the table. 

“Lisa!” Jungkook was all smiles, whereas Yong-Min looked like he could kill anyone at this point.

“Seja” bowing, “I was not expecting you to be back so soon. I have little progress to report …”

“That is fine. I received an urgent news from the council and they require my presence here before the festival.” 

“Oh… I… uh, that’s great I guess?” She tried laughing off the slight quiver in her voice, 

“I am expecting you to attend it… with me. You are my guest after all.” Jungkook wasn’t meeting Lisa’s gaze as he blushed. 

“Su..sure?” _wait why was he blushing?_ Lisa could feel the glares Yong-Min was drilling into her. 

“Great! I shall have the palace tailor make festival garments for you as soon as she is free for today. And oh, I’ll come by tomorrow to check on the progress.” 

Yong-Min’s face twitched ever so slightly. It wasn’t a flush of red or an annoyed look. It was much more subtle. She barely caught it. 

“We’ll leave you be then, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course” Lisa smiled back, bowing to acknowledge the princes’ departure. 

Satisfied that they’ve rounded the corner and left the hallway, Lisa scrambled back inside -- breathing hard as the tension slowly ebbed away as she breathed. 

“So? How did it go?” Jisoo looked like she was about to get a heart attack. 

“It went fine… I think?” They stood slowly, there wasn’t a window by the door but still.. It was always best to take caution. 

“Good, we can start with the powder then … I just need --”

The door to the study flew open, the walls shook from the impact. Making Jennie scream, Chaeyoung to instinctively place herself in front of Jisoo and Lisa to jump. 

A very flustered Yong-Min stood by the door, his jaw set in anger as he took calculated steps towards the women. 

“I knew there was something odd in the way you talked, how you kept glancing at the door…” He slowly took his sword from its sheath, pointing the end at Lisa’s neck. 

“Yong-Min…” It was Jisoo who spoke first, earning another glare from the royal guard. 

“Forgive me for being uncouth _agasshi,_ but I believe this has nothing to do with any of you. My business is with traitor.” He allowed the tip of the sword to graze Lisa’s neck, smiling at her in a sinister way. 

“Yong-Min… I can explain.” Lisa looked him in the eye, trying her best not to tremble at the cold steel inches away from her throat. 

“Save it for the prince and the council.” He said through gritted teeth, “Or better yet… You can talk all you want, it will be meaningless once I drive this through your throat. I knew better than to trust a stranger, a stranger who is not from around here. I do not know what kind of trick you pulled on the crown prince for him to be so taken with you…” His eyes gleamed with an expression that resembled jealousy… 

Lisa held her breath, closing her eyes expecting the worst at any minute.  

“Yong-Min.” Jennie’s voice was surprisingly collected. “Make no mistake in harming her, it’s your word against ours should she die by your hand... “ 

Lisa felt the sword being retracted, as Yong-Min looked at Jennie with contempt. 

“Telling the prince will give away the fact that you were here and privy to his secret!” 

“Knowing about the gruesome event does not necessarily mean we were here. We could be passing by and seeing you with your sword drawn, your dress bloody and the door to the study open -- we were merely curious as to why that is so.” Jennie was taking small steps towards Lisa and Yong-Min, carefully pushing away the tip of the sword as she matched Yong-Min’s glare. “Don’t let your emotions get the best of you Yong-Min, lest you forget what happened three years ago…” 

Lisa could see the shift in Yong-Min’s features, he recoiled and hissed at Jennie as he sheathed his sword. “If I find out other people are made aware of this, it’s your head on the line! And I won’t let anyone stand in my way. I’d rather have my head cut off for suspected treason against the prince than see him go down with something you’ve done!” Lisa could feel the spits as Yong-Min lashed out. He took off without another glance as Jennie rushed to him outside, 

For a short while Lisa was frozen in place, shaking from how things ended up. She realized Jennie wasn’t in the room and ran after her, afraid of what could happen. Yong-Min had his back to them, with Lisa catching the end of Jennie’s sentence before he walked away and she walked back to her. 

“Taehyung…”

_Why was she calling Yong-Min -- Taehyung?...._

Jennie took her hand and led her back to the room. 

“No need to worry about him for now. We should really work on that antidote…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! We'll have a slight shift of POV in the next chapter. Hope you're liking the story so far -- let me know :)
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read, left a kudos, comment and bookmarked! I really, really appreciate it :D


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